The Scarlet Winter BEING REWRITTEN
by Yuuram von Bielefeld-Shibuya
Summary: Trancy vs Phantomhive. That's the popularity war that has travelled with them ever since their first meeting in Lower School. And now things just got even more intense in High School. The boys hate one another with a passion. But what happens when Elizabeth goes from Team Phantomhive to Team Trancy? And with tragedies just around the corner, can they find solitude in one another?
1. Chapter 1

A sleek black Jaguar pulled up at the gates to Clear Lake High School and a boy, almost fifteen years old, stepped out gracefully. Everyone in the school's courtyard stopped to look in his direction and admire him. He, Alois Trancy, was the king of Clear Lake. He was the most popular boy there, and every single person was under his rule. He slung a small backpack over his shoulder, which was layered with a long purple coat with the collar sticking up, and turned back to the car, knee-high black boots with purple ribbons clicking against the paving stones, and leant inside to hug the little boy that sat beside his seat. "Goodbye Luka, have a good day alright? I'll see you when you get home".

"Yes Your Highness!" the little boy replied happily, hugging his older brother tightly.

Alois giggled and patted his auburn hair before shutting the door with a graceful slam and walked to the front of the car, peering through the window. "Goodbye Claude! I do hope work goes well for you today!"

"Hm..." Claude grunted before rolling up the tinted windows as Alois walked away towards the school and drove off to take Luka to his own school - Coral Coast Middle School.

Alois was soon greeted with the endless callings of his name from everyone who wanted his attention specifically this year. Being in Year 10, his second year at Clear Lake, made him just that little higher up in the school, and with the new Year 9's coming in too, his popularity would only continue to grow.

"Alois! Alois! I'm from the school paper, can you give us a quick word to describe how you feel about this year? Will it be a good one?"

Alois smirked and twirled, purple coat swishing around him before he lifted his hands up to the side of his face and clapped them together with closed eyes and a bright smile. "Olé!" Everyone knew that was Alois' famous phrase for when he was pleased about something - so the school paper girl simply translated it as "This year will be even better than last!" for her readers.

"Alois, what do you think about the new Year 9's that are coming in?" one boy asked from the crowd.

Alois simply smirked again and put his hands behind his back. "Oh I hope they have a wonderful time here at Clear Lake, we'll all make them feel very welcome, won't we?"

"Yes Your Highness!" the crowd chorused before heading off to their own destinations as Alois walked over to his locker and opened it, smiling at the small picture of Luka and him taped on the inside of the door, and grabbing whatever lousy books he needed for the first two lessons - Geography with Mr. Spears and History with Mr. Knox. Great. What a boring way to begin the year. Alois closed his locker after blowing a small kiss to his reflection in the mirror on the door underneath the picture and turned to find his usual trio of friends waiting for him.

The trio were triplets; Cantebury, Timber and Thompson. Alois could barely tell them apart from one another but that didn't really matter to him, so long as they followed him around as his faithful bodyguards all day (except when they had a different lesson to him) then he was fine. And they didn't seem to mind either since they were constantly together anyway. "Ah you three, how were your summer breaks? Mine was excellent as always, Luka's such a playful little thing! So, who's got Geography with me this morning?" Cantebruy raised his hand in reply and Alois nodded. "Awesome!"

After the foursome had made their way to the Geography classroom, Timber and Thompson left to go to their own lessons and the remaining two walked into the classroom and Alois received something even more distasteful than the lesson. "You have _got_ to be _kidding_ me!" he hissed under his breath, for right there, at the back next to his usual seat, sat the one and only Ciel Phantomhive.

* * *

 **Hope you liked it! And I just want to set a few things straight to do with the school, since it's set in England and I'm English and currently live in England so I'm basing this on how my upper school worked (yes, it would be called Clear Lake Upper School but I prefer saying High School).**

 **Um, Ciel is actually a year younger than Ciel so he is in Year 9, the baby year of the school and Alois is, as mentioned above, in Year 10. Their school schedule is 1st and 2nd period, break, 3rd and 4th, lunch 5th and then 6th for Sixth Formers (Years 12 and 13) if they have any. This fanfic will (hopefully) be going through until when Ciel finishes Year 11 (so quite a long fic).**

 **Claude does work at the school, but he normally drops Alois off, then takes Luka to his school, and then comes back - and he's allowed since he's filthy rich and Alois is 'king of the school' so what he says goes.**

 **Um, also Hannah (or Miss Anafeloz - her name is spelt that way in the OVA: The Making of Kuroshitsuji II) is Alois' form tutor but we can all guess he's always going to skip out on form time in the mornings and wait for someone to tell him anything important. And of course, Ciel is in William's form class! So every time Alois has Geography in the morning, they're going to pass one another.**

 **Umm...I hope that makes things clearer for you if you don't really know how the English school system works - no offense! And I hope you enjoyed this and are looking forward to the first chapter! It should be up sometime tomorrow, I'll work on it!**

 **Thanks for reading, bye!**


	2. Chapter 2

"Hoheo Taralna, Rondero Tarel..." Alois muttered under his breath.

"Mr Trancy, would you please leave until I have dismissed my form class? I do not wish to put up with your intolerance this morning, and since I'm assuming you didn't go to your own form class this morning with Miss Anafeloz, you weren't told about first period being cancelled for the new Year 9's to settle in". Mr Spears sighed, pushing his glasses up a bit, making them glint in the light.

Alois shot a glare at Cantebury, who shrugged from behind him and as he turned to stride out of the classroom, he caught Ciel smirking in his direction. The little brat had some nerve showing up in _his_ school again. Alois would make sure Ciel suffered Hell for all the time he was here at Clear Lake.

You see, whenever Alois and Ciel were in the same school, the whole school became divided in two, never minding if you were above, in or below their year group. You were either on Team Trancy or Team Phantomhive. And this certainly caused problems for Alois whenever Ciel finally joined his school, for he would lose followers who would change their minds about him and go to Ciel's flock of pawns. Their whole rivalry was a chess game, each trying to outdo the other in anyway possible until the crashing moment of when one king put the other in checkmate.

"Why didn't you tell me first period was cancelled?! Do I have to make myself look like an idiot now to be popular?!"

"Sorry Your Highness..." Cantebury mumbled but clear enough for Alois to hear.

The blond huffed and folded his arms, annoyed, as the two headed to the toilets. Well, it's not as if he was going to go and sit with Miss Anafeloz for the hour, was it? Alois walked into the toilets and lifted himself to sit on the windowsill and leant up against the side. Cantebury leant against the sinks and soon enough Alois begun swinging his leg gently, the other pulled up to his chest. "Ugh...I'm so _bored_!"

"Same".

"Do you think Timber and Thompson went to form?"

"Probably".

"Tch, honestly. We got forty five minutes left until History, what can we do?"

"They might be doing something fun in form to take away our boredom".

"Tch, with that bitch? I don't think so. Hoheo Taralna..."

* * *

Soon the bell rung and Alois and Cantebury headed to History with Mr Knox. The almost hyperactive teacher really knew how to annoy Alois and piss him off. The blond eventually reached class, not noticing he had passed Ciel and Elizabeth in the halls, and slumped into his seat with a bored expression. Honestly, why did he even choose these classes in the first place for his GCSEs? He was filthy rich and he'd be able to get a job easily at his Uncle Arnold's business anyway when he finished school.

"Mr Trancy, surprised to see you in this class". Mr Knox commented, eyeing the boy skeptically. He really didn't need to be scolded by William again for not handling the boy properly. But luckily, this year the teachers had held a meeting in how to handle to Trancy brat. They would let him do what he pleased, only scolding him when things got too out of hand. It was less stress on their part, and shamefully a benefit on Alois' since the boy clearly didn't give a damn about his education.

"Just trying to made Cl- Father proud of me, Mr Knox" Alois smiled innocently, making a few girls in class giggle quietly. Mr Knox just shook his head and turned to write on the board and begin the lesson. There was nothing innocent about Alois Trancy, that was for sure.

* * *

"Omg, Ciel, did you hear who's here?!" Elizabeth whispered to him in their English class with Mr Michaelis, also the apprentice of Ciel's butler, but didn't give the boy time to answer. "Alois Trancy! Oh Ciel, you won't get into trouble with him will you? He's a nasty piece of work my mother and father say, I don't trust him at all".

"I know, I saw him this morning making an idiot out of himself, per usual". _What a douche, really, he's already been through this year, wouldn't he of remembered? Then again, Trancy being an idiot only raises my popularity - people prefer those who are mature it seems. Easy enough for me,_ Ciel thought with a sly smirk, which he hid behind his hand as he shifted to cover his mouth and focus on the worksheet in front of him.

"This year we will be working on Shakespeare's _Romeo and Juliet._ Any questions?" Mr Michaelis asked.

 _Yeah, do we really have to do something so stupid and totally unromantic?_ Ciel thought, but Elizabeth looked almost as smitten with the story as she was with Ciel. Yeah, the two were dating, but Ciel had never felt anything towards it. She was merely a pawn in his game with Alois. Having a romantic partner made him one step up from the pathetic nuisance named Alois Trancy. And Ciel also knew that Elizabeth would forever be a member of Team Phantomhive, no matter what.

"Oh Ciel, isn't this play just wonderful?"

"I guess, not really my thing". _My sort of thing is something along the lines of ruining a certain flamboyant blond's reputation once and for all._

* * *

Finally break arrived and who was Ciel to run into once outside? Alois. Of course. The two boys stared one another down and people around them began to stop in their tracks, waiting to see what would happen. "Well, well, if it isn't Ciel Phantomhive. How's my favourite little puppy doing? Feeling all grown up are we?"

"Alois Trancy, nothing but a filthy spider that's just waiting for it's innocent prey to come along and walk into it's web of lies".

"Wow, I must say, even for you that's an impressive one".

"Ciel, let's just go...you don't want trouble with him this time..." Elizabeth tugged at her boyfriend's sleeve, wanting to leave. She flinched slightly when Alois looked at her.

"Oh how lovely to see you too Lizzy! How's the little dog been treating the girl he doesn't even love, hm?"

"What?"

"Trancy, shut your mouth! You know nothing!"

"Oh Ciel, I'm just kidding, of course you love her with all your precious heart". He leaned down a bit to whisper in Ciel's ear tauntingly. "I know what your game is, if you lose her you'll have to step down a bit. I'd hate to be you when she finds out the truth~"

Ciel just growled and glared at him as the blond stalked off with a smirk. One of them was going to go down by the end of all this, and neither of them wanted it to be themselves.


	3. Chapter 3

Alois eventually met up with the triplets in a more shadowy area of the school grounds. He began to pace back and forth in front of them, three pairs of eyes following his movements. He soon let out a frustrated growl and glared at the three boys, making them straighten themselves. "What does Ciel have that I don't?"

"Good taste in music".

"More fashionable clothing".

"He's cuter".

"No you blubbering fools, he has that stupid girl hanging on his arm! And just so we're clear, I am cute! I am the most fashionable person here! And my taste in music is perfect!"

"So, what do we do?" Timber asked, scratching his head.

Alois shone an evil grin. "We take Elizabeth Midford from Ciel Phantomhive and make her fall for Alois Trancy".

"We take her from him and give her to you so she falls in love with you?"

"That's it?"

"You could just find someone online, not as if you like her anyway".

"...You three are hopeless sometimes! Of course I was already planning to find an online site and meet someone on there, it's the easiest trick in the book. And of course no girl, or boy for that matter, could ever resist my looks and charms".

"Not unless you're Ciel Phantomhive".

"Or his friends".

"I think we're doing pretty well to resist".

"Argh! Shut up the lot of you, your bloody prattle is getting on my nerves!"

* * *

"Honestly, why did we have to be put in the same school as that physco? Ciel, please tell me you'll avoid him".

"Lizzy, does it seem like I want to be his best friend or his lover in fact?"

"Lover?!"

"You know how he can turn people".

"But you won't turn will you? Oh please Ciel, don't be that way!" Elizabeth wailed at the Phantomhive boy's side.

"I won't. Because I have you, don't I?" he forced out the words and grumbled in his head when the blonde girl blushed heavily and gripped tightly onto his arm. _Damn you Trancy. I'm only doing this to get one up on you. Better catch up soon._

"Ciel! Lizzy!" a high voice called and the two 'lovers' looked up just as Finny halted in front of them, hands on his knees, panting.

"Hello Finny, are you alright?"

"I'm good Ciel, thanks! I just got out of class cause I wanted to ask my teacher something".

Elizabeth noticed Finny's blush and giggled. "Are they cute~?" The boy nodded, blush increasing as he took a seat beside Ciel. The strawberry blond had come out of the closet during the summer holidays and of course Ciel and Elizabeth had accepted his sexuality like the good friends they were.

Ciel chuckled a bit at his friend and then found his thoughts going back to what Alois had said when they'd met in the halls at he beginning of break. _"How's the little dog been treating the girl he doesn't even love, hm?"_ It was true, and only Alois, Ciel himself and Ciel's butlers knew that his love for the Midford girl was a lie. Subconsciously, Ciel's jaw tightened but it was barely noticeable. _Perhaps I should go online...I should find someone online, for practice, so I can make everything with Elizabeth seem more natural and realistic. Yeah, that'll do! I'll find someone, boy or girl, I don't care, and use a stranger for practice. It's the only way I'm going to keep above that stupid blond prat._

When he came away from his final thoughts, he saw Alois and his usual trio of bodyguards on the other side of the playground. He watched the older boy carefully and smirked a little when the blond got frustrated with his followers. Alois Trancy had been his rival for a very long time, and he had to drag him through the mud several times before the boy finally left school. _Watch your back Trancy, you won't know what hit you_.

* * *

Alois huffed and caught Ciel looking his way from the corner of his eye as he folded his arms over his chest. _Ugh, what does he think he's playing at? Looking at me like I'm some sort of circus freak. He's the circus freak here! Argh, I'll make sure he's dealt with by the time I get to leave this place. Watch your back Phantomhive, you won't know what hit you._

* * *

 **Sorry it's so short but I had to go out and I wanted the next chapter done before I had to go. Hope you're liking it still! And virtual cookie for whoever gets Finny's teacher crush right! Hint: It's not Sebastian since he wasn't in Ciel and Elizabeth's class.**


	4. Chapter 4

Alois walked out of school and grumbled in annoyance after remembering that Claude wasn't giving him a ride home since he had a meeting after school. _Great, just great, but at least I can go pick up Luka for once,_ he brought a smile onto his face and continued walking down the steps from the main doors and accidentally had someone bump into him. He shut his eyes but didn't fall, unlike the other person. He opened his yes again and looked down to see it was Elizabeth. A wicked smile came onto his lips. "Oh Elizabeth, what a nice surprise".

"Afternoon Trancy..." the blonde greeted him out of politeness as he helped her up.

"Where's Ciel? Oh no, don't tell me he just left you! Oh he really is an inconsiderate jerk sometimes".

"I didn't have class with him, he's with Finny so I should be seeing them soon. Now if you don't mind, I must be going. Good day Trancy".

"Wait Elizabeth, please, call me Alois. I don't know what Ciel has told you to make you dislike me like he does but can't you see that he doesn't give a single damn about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"He doesn't love you, he's pretending to so he can be a step ahead of me".

"That's what you said earlier...do you know something that I don't?"

"Oh such innocence. Lizzy, darling, he doesn't love you, it's as simple as that. You're a friend and barely one at that from the looks of things. He's taken your feelings for him and used them to abuse his reputation and make it grow so he can be better than me. That's all the little puppy is barking about".

"...I'm sorry Trancy, but until you have proof, and enough proof, I won't believe you".

Alois sighed as she walked away from him, shaking his head before gently hurrying on his way.

* * *

He walked along the pavements and crossed the roads that were necessary before he finally reached Coral Coast Middle School. He was about to cross when he saw Luka but reconsidered as a car came speeding along by and only when it turned the corner did he check the road and cross to the other side. Luka's face lit up almost like a Christmas Tree when he saw his older brother and quickly said goodbye to his friends before running over and hitting Alois with a small thump as he wrapped his arms round him happily, eyes closed and a bright smile on his face.

Alois smiled too and knelt down to hug his brother back properly. "Good day?"

"Yep! It was a really fun day!"

"That's good, I'm glad you had a good day Luka". Alois stood back up and took Luka's hand, leading him away from the school.

"What was your day like, Brother?"

"It was...interesting, I suppose. Ciel Phantomhive is back on my territory, but I already have a few ideas in mind on how to deal with that. Luka, h-how would you feel if I...got a girlfriend? Or even a boyfriend since I sort of swing that way too".

Luka looked thoughtful for a moment, tapping a finger on his chin before smiling up at his brother. "I wouldn't mind! So long as I still got time to play with you!"

"Of course Luka, nobody can be better than you". Alois then swooped down and playfully picked Luka up, both of them giggling as they made their way back home once Luka managed to climb onto Alois' back and hang his arms round his neck.

* * *

When the brothers reached home, Claude was still not there, so Alois was in charge of the household. He grinned and then remembered his morning idea of looking for someone online to be lovey-dovey with and be even with Ciel - even if he was still planning how to get Elizabeth on his side too. "Luka, you can watch TV if you want to, I'm just gonna go get my laptop and I'll join you".

"Okay!" Luka replied as he kicked off his shoes and went to change out of his uniform before racing to the second floor of their mansion and switching his favourite set of cartoons on.

Alois headed up to the third floor of the mansion and grabbed his laptop. He could hardly believe he was doing this, was he honestly that desperate to get even with the Phantomhive boy? Well, it's not as if they'd ever know who his partner was exactly, anyway. Only he would know that. The blond teen walked downstairs and into the room where Luka was, setting up his laptop on the sofa and then going downstairs to grab them some snacks.

When he came back, he handed Luka the bowl of goodies for them both to snack on and sat down, placing his laptop on his legs and began his search.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ciel and Finny were walking up Ciel's driveway and Rachel, Ciel's mother, gladly opened the door for them both. "Welcome home Ciel, and, oh, you brought Finnian with you, how lovely! There's some sandwiches on the kitchen counter for you both".

"Mother? What are you doing home? Is Father home?"

"No Ciel, your father's still at work. I'm just heading out to the shops to meet with your aunt, you know who I'm on about, don't you?"

"Madam Red, how could I forget her..."

Rachel smiled and patted her son lovingly on the head before stepping past them and going on her way. "Oh Ciel, Tanaka's in the garden at the moment!" she called out behind her before disappearing down the road.

Ciel sighed and shot a glare at Finny as the strawberry blond boy chuckled to himself before they both walked inside, shutting the door behind them and going to grab the sandwiches Rachel had mentioned. They both headed up to Ciel's bedroom and Ciel set up his laptop while giving Finny his Nintendo DS game console to occupy him with for the time being. Ciel quickly searched up a chat website and found one that would work through his text messages on his phone too. He worked through the signup process page until he came to choosing a username. He couldn't use anything that would reveal his identity, obviously, because who knew what freaks from school could be on here too, so he came up with something he found suitable for himself and that would hide his name:

 **HauntingMask**

Happy with his decision, he proceeded through signing up and when he was done he closed down his laptop and left his phone next to it before joining Finny on playing games.

* * *

It was quite late when Finny went home, around dinner time and Ciel was left to chat with his father and Sebastian once the two of them came home. Vincent was pleased that Ciel had had a good day and Sebastian praised him when he finished his homework without any problems. Once Rachel returned, she and Vincent took to talking amongst themselves and Ciel headed up to his room, seeing his phone flash a small blue light to say he had a text message. Automatically thinking it was from Elizabeth, Ciel opened it and laid down on his bed on his back, eyes bored until he saw it was from someone off the website he had joined: **PurpleSpectrum**.

He flipped over onto his front and quickly replied to the simple starter message.

 **PurpleSpectrum:** Hi! Omg, your name sounds really mysterious, it's clever!

 **HauntingMask:** Hello, thank you, yours is also pretty cool

He didn't expect to receive a reply near enough straight away.

 **PurpleSpectrum:** Thank you, I do try my best! So, tell me the basics about yourself but you don't have to tell me your real name if you don't want to, obviously

 **HauntingMask:** I'm a boy for starters, I'm 13, turning 14 in about 3 months, and I'm an only child

 **PurpleSpectrum:** Ooh, you sound so cute! I'm a boy too, 14 almost 15 and I have a little brother. Say, I know this is sudden but would you like to be my friend? I mean, you don't have to be!

 **HauntingMask:** Sure I'll be your friend, but I don't want us to know one another's names just yet

 **PurpleSpectrum:** That's fine, totally fine! So did you join for any particular reason?

 **HauntingMask:** No...just to make a friend or two who aren't weirdos from school

 **PurpleSpectrum:** Haha, I know exactly what you mean!

Ciel smiled. He liked this person, whoever they were, and he felt that they could make him happier than he had ever felt before. It was like some sort of strange connection, and it thrilled him. Surely nothing could go wrong from this, right?

* * *

 **...Hahaha, oh God that was so frustratingly funny to write! Oh jeez, sorry I have not updated this in a few days but y'know, Christmas season can be hectic at times and I was kinda writing other stuff. But please review and tell me what you think! I bet you already know who Ciel's little friend is right? ...C'mon guys, it's obviously Soma! xD Nah, I'm kidding, you guys should know. But this hopefully won't turn out like you think it will! I have a plan for when and how Ciel finds out who this PurpleSpectrum really is~ Also yes, Alois does want to have Elizabeth on his side as well as find someone online because, well, he's gonna do _anything_ he can to get ahead of Ciel, lol.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Happy New Year everyone! My resolution was to try new writing styles, so if you follow me then I'll be doing some Character x Reader stories soon for different fandoms and since it is the start of the year, I will do my best to do a birthday fic on the correct dates for specific characters I like - yes that means that this year I will finally be doing Alois a birthday fic and get Ciel's second birthday fic done on the correct day, lol**

* * *

"Okay Alois, take it slow, don't rush into things like the moron Ciel Phantomhive thinks you are, it'll get you nowhere" the blond boy muttered to himself as Luka's cartoons finished and the auburn haired boy crawled onto his brother's lap.

"Whatcha doing?"

"Texting a friend".

"Is it that Elizabeth girl you always talk about? Oh, oh, is she your new girlfriend?!"

"No she is not! But, someday she will be, if I can make that happen somehow without too much trouble. Say, Luka...do you think you can get out of school early tomorrow and come to mine and meet me there?"

"I can try Brother, but I don't know if it'll work".

"Hm, I forgot how uptight they can be at your school...nevermind".

"What were you thinking Brother?"

"Just wondering if you could use that sweet and adorable little charm of yours to get Elizabeth to like me".

"Hehe, Brother's in loooooovvvve~"

"Luka, I am not!"

"What's all the commotion up there?" Alois and Luka quickly switched the TV off, Alois shoving his phone into his pocket, and the two launched themselves downstairs to greet Claude, their adoptive father who refused for them to share his surname of Faustus so they were stuck with being named Trancy.

"Sorry Claude, we forgot what time you were coming home. H-How was the meeting, did it go well?" Alois asked, Luka half hiding behind him.

"None of your business, rat. Just go and sort out dinner, I'm starving".

"Yes sir..." Alois sighed quietly and led Luka into the kitchen and the two began to help one another make dinner while they heard Claude go upstairs. "Argh, I hate him so much! Why did we have to get stuck with him of all people? Luka, is it bad to wish he was dead?"

"Brother, remember what happened when you said that at the Orphanage?"

"Yeah but that little whiny bitch deserved it, and it wasn't like I meant it. God, I wish we lived back in the village, just me and you and Mum and Dad before they died...I loved living in the country, Luka, it was perfect out there... Why did we have to give that up?"

"I don't know Brother...I don't like talking all posh and being high and mighty just because we're rich, but it's been stuck into my head and now I can't even force myself to talk like a true countryman".

"I know what you mean, Luka... We could always go away next summer though. Y'know, like we did this year?"

"You mean we can go to the cabin again?!"

"Yeah, if I can get some cash together and get us out of here for a week or so without him worrying". _As if he'd ever care what happened to us,_ Alois thought privately. "Would you like that?"

"Oh yes please Brother, I want to go jump in mud puddles and climb trees again!"

"Alright Luka, I'll find a way," Claude then called down to them with an impatient tone and Alois huffed. "Alright, I'm coming, hold your horses!" To which he then blushed and sent Luka into a spree of giggles as he quickly went to deliver the makeshift dish to Claude.

* * *

Ciel stilled laid on his bed, flipping his phone around in his hand, thinking. _Can I really go through with this? I mean, this boy seems nice and everything, and perhaps if we get friendlier then they can help me think of ways to destroy Alois! But...hmm...it's hard. I'm using someone just to realistically please someone else...of course it's not right but since I really don't love Lizzy then what choice do I have? If I just straight up broke the 'relationship' I have with her then Trancy would always be a step ahead of me, and that's something I refuse to happen! Ugh, it's so tiring...but, it'll have to do for now, until I can find a way to solve this rivalry between me and him..._ He sighed heavily when his phone flashed, bringing a small smile to his face.

 **PurpleSpectrum:** You're so lucky you don't have siblings

 **HauntingMask:** Oh really?

 **PurpleSpectrum:** Well, my brother isn't so bad, just when you mention a girl and he keeps chanting that you're in love constantly. You're lucky

 **HauntingMask:** Yeah, I suppose being an only child is great most of the time, unless your siblings are ones you get along with

 **PurpleSpectrum:** Hm, yeah. I'm tired so I gotta go, speak to you sometime tomorrow

 **HauntingMask:** Alright, speak to you tomorrow

Ciel switched his phone off and put it on his bedside desk, yawning with a few stretches and then flopping back on his bed. He heard his mother call up to him for him to start getting ready for bed and Ciel obediently complied and got himself undressed when Sebastian came in to help - it'd become the usual routine job for the butler apprentice. "Hello Sebastian".

"Good Evening, Young Master, is everything alright?"

"Yes, why wouldn't it be?"

"Well I couldn't help but notice your...distinctive dislike to Alois Trancy at school today, when I caught a glimpse".

"What of it? He's nothing but an annoying little prat who thinks he owns the whole damn world". _I wish that PurpleSpectrum guy was at school instead of that inconsiderate jerk..._

"Young Master, pardon my intrusion on the matter at hand but...wouldn't it just be easier to ignore him? He is in the year above you so logically speaking the both of you shouldn't interact so much".

"I try to Sebastian," Ciel groaned while climbing into bed. "But he's always just... _there!_ He's just everywhere I go! He's so full of himself and likes to stroke his own ego way too much for my liking".

"You do know he doesn't originally come from a wealthy family".

"He doesn't?"

"No. I was speaking with his adoptive father, Claude Faustus, after the meeting at school. Apparently Alois and his younger brother, Luka, are from the country. They've been put through an Orphanage and Claude adopted them, then teaching them both how to be somewhat sophisticated like yourself".

"How come you got told all this, Sebastian?"

"Oh, I have my ways, Young Master. Now, would you like me the turn the light off or just leave it dim?"

"Turn it off, if you will, thank you".

"Very well, Young Master". Sebastian then flicked the lights off and the room was enveloped in darkness as the door closed.

Ciel stayed awake for awhile, thinking. Alois was from the country? Well that was news from all the years he'd known the little Trancy brat. Perhaps this little piece of information could work in his favour. Now all Ciel had to do was find a way to bring it up in front of Alois and see what kind of reaction the blond idiot gave him.

* * *

 **Omg...Ciel, why are you so stupid? How is having the information that Alois and Luka used to be country pumpkins gonna help you in any way? xD Ah gosh, I don't understand my own writing sometimes. But! This piece of information will come in handy for Ciel later down the storyline ;) Oh you guys have no idea what I have planned for these two and their families...oh you probably have no clue at all.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm sorry...but the song Popular by The Veronicas just suits Alois to a T (for Trancy, obviously) in this fic! xD Ah, anyway, something major is going to happen at around chapter 10, hehe. And honestly, for those who are waiting for an update on** ** _One Last Light_** **then it will probably be sometime next month - towards the end - because I thought I was going to have loads of fun writing that one and this was just a sideline thing but now I'm enjoying this one way more so the other one is becoming the one on the sidelines. I just keep getting so many ideas for this one in future chapters and am really enjoying it. So, sorry about that change in plans...**

* * *

The next morning was quite eventful for a certain young lady. Elizabeth checked the road before stepping out, but just as she did, arms wrapped round her waist and yanked her backwards as a car zipped past at an insane speed. Her breath caught in her throat and her body trembled, imagining what would've happened if she'd been any second earlier in her actions. "Are you alright?" Elizabeth looked up over her shoulder and her eyes widened considerably when she saw it was someone entirely unexpected - Alois Trancy. Elizabeth slowly nodded her head and turned back to see people had stopped in front of the school gates to watch their exchange - Ciel and Finny were two of the people in the crowd. Alois slowly let go of her, sending a wicked smirk at Ciel and then took her hand in his, checking the road twice before crossing and lightly pushing her into Ciel's arms. "Don't worry Phantomhive, I don't expect you to get on your knees and apologise to me for saving her, I was just doing an honest good deed. Wouldn't want her to die now, would we?"

Ciel growled. He had a strong urge to punch that smug look off Alois' face, and he probably would've tried to do so if nobody else was around them and their little scene. Alois gave Elizabeth a quick glance over before tilting his head up elegantly and striding off towards the school, the blond's usual crowd of brainless followers trailing after him. "Ciel..." The dark bluenette looked at his friend. "Ciel...you should've thanked him".

"Thanked him? For what exactly?"

"Um, Ciel...?"

"Not now Finny. Elizabeth, what should I thank _Trancy_ for?"

"For saving my life perhaps? Ciel if that car had hit me I could've possibly died! Wouldn't you have cared at all?"

"Of course I would've cared, Lizzy, that's an absurd thing to ask of me!"

"Maybe he's right about you Ciel, maybe I gave my heart to the wrong person". Elizabeth then tore away from Ciel, dusting herself off of anything she thought might've gotten on her, and mumbled an apology before stating the end of their so-called relationship. She gave a small sigh and kissed Ciel's cheek before walking off to the school doors. Ciel had no doubt in his mind that she was going to try and find Alois to thank him for saving her before heading to class.

But at the same time, Ciel was furious with the older blond. Elizabeth being his girlfriend, whether he loved her or not, had been one of his stepping stones within their game of glory. She had been a pawn, yes, and Ciel did somewhat care for her as merely a friend but it was all because of Alois. Alois had driven him into doing things he wouldn't of dared do before he was ready, just to be one stepping stone ahead so he could finally claim the throne for himself on the other side of the river they were crossing together.

* * *

Alois was hanging out with his usual bunch of friends - Timber, Thompson, Canterbury, A.C. and Chaz - when Elizabeth called out his name, so quietly that the blond almost missed it. He turned his head in her direction, currently leaning against the wall in a corridor by his locker, one foot up against the wall too and his arms folded over his chest. He wore simply a black and white striped t-shirt that hung loosely on his shoulder and collarbone area, with a pale pastel blueish grey unbuttoned cardigan over the top, followed by a very loose black necktie-like scarf. "Oh, Elizabeth. How can I help?"

The girl shifted on her feet for a moment or two before Alois gave a sharp order for his friends - mainly Chaz and A.C. - to stop chuckling to themselves. She slowly stepped forwards towards the older boy and looked up at him with pretty green eyes. "I just broke up with Ciel...you were right Alois, I don't think he cared about me like I wanted him to..."

"Aw, poor sweet thing" Canterbury commented lightly.

"Yeah, I bet His Highness here is willing to make her feel better". Timber joined in.

"If he weren't so young I bet you £5 they'd be having a good old time in the corridor round the corner in the dark" Thompson finished off, leaving the group in a fit of laughter.

Alois hissed when Elizabeth looked confused and then blushed profoundly. "Oh pack it in the lot of you, the girl is still innocent! Honestly, what are you all, a bunch of immature children?" That only set them off again and Alois chuckled along with it too this time. "S-Sorry Lizzy, what did you come here for again?"

"I was wondering if I could spend the day with you...t-to thank you for saving me earlier".

"Oh that? It was nothing, just forget about it".

"I can't. If you hadn't stopped me from walking out then I could've died and I'm just ever so thankful for you being there when you were! Alois, please, just let me do this one thing for today to say thank you properly without words".

Alois sighed in his head. _Now I can see why Ciel didn't take much of a liking to her, what a whiny little bitch,_ he thought with a chuckle before allowing her. "Alright, if that's what you want to do then you can stay by us for the day between classes. I'll even walk you home just to make sure you don't end up getting squished by some tires, if I'm not being picked up after school that is since I had to bloody walk here this morning for who knows what damn reason".

Elizabeth just smiled and leaned up to peck him on the cheek, causing a small blush to form on both their faces. "Thank you".

The others were just cackling behind Alois, each holding their stomachs as they began to ache with pain from their laughter. Alois growled and whirled round to glare at them sharply. "Oh hush you nitwits!"

* * *

 **There we go, a new chapter for you all~ Elizabeth is slowly going to Team Trancy~! Yes, Chaz and A.C. are OCs from _One Last Light_ hehe, Alyx and Dottie will be seen in here too soon enough, don't worry! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys, updating this story quite a bit aren't I? Lol, I really just wanna get to chapter 10 and then I'll update again near the end of February because that is when my birthday is (Feb 28th, I'm turning 19!) and after chapter 10 is up then I will do the next chapter of** ** _One Last Light_** **for those of you who are following that story (why the heck do I sound like I'm talking verbally to you all? You're reading this, not hearing me! xD) Anyway, enjoy this chapter - also for those who are interested in character development, Elizabeth is now on Team Trancy so she will potentially or even temporarily get some development (I hate her character so don't expect too much xD) and Ciel will get some in chapter 10 onwards and Alois will get some development at around chapter 16 I assume because that's when I'm having something happen to him, and something's gonna happen to Ciel during chapter 10 or towards the end of it so look forward to that (or not cause...well...I know the story, lol).**

* * *

"Ugh, Ciel this, Ciel that, it's all she bloody talks about and it's driving me insane!"

"Regrettable decision then, Your Highness?"

"Yes Chaz, yes it is. No wonder Ciel passed her off as nothing, for once I'm on the same side of the coin as him when it comes to Elizabeth Midford".

"Could her being blonde possibly be a connection to her being somewhat of an annoyance to you?"

"...Are you blind? I'm freaking blond too!"

"Oh, yes, sorry Your Highness".

Alois grumbled and cursed under his breath as he and Chaz trudged through the hallways. About a month had passed since Elizabeth had moved from Team Phantomhive to Team Trancy, and even though Alois was grateful for it, he hadn't expected her to become such a bothersome figure within his usual party. He regretted trying to get close to her, but he had to keep up the act for him to be above Ciel at all times - this meant he eventually had had to take his plan one step further and ask her to be his girlfriend, to which she accepted (thank goodness) and he swore he could feel a nerve about to snap near his brain.

People around him had noticed that since Elizabeth had joined their little group, Alois had become more easily irritated and hostile around others who weren't close to him, and he'd also snap at random moments if he was in a particularly bad mood after spending a few mere minutes with the girl. And Ciel, of course, took advantage of the situation whenever he got the chance - which naturally pissed Alois off even more. Already Ciel had been sent home twice due to injuries that Alois had given him in a fit of rage. Not that the blond Trancy boy cared, if he was above Ciel in any way possible, he would keep it that way.

Chaz had teased him endless times about how Elizabeth probably dreamt about him at night and was planning their wedding from the moment she got home, to which the Trancy boy hissed painfully at the idea of going so far with such an annoyance. He was turning 15 in just under a month, which meant he could throw another one of his famous parties and he just knew Ciel would come along just to see if he slipped up somehow. He grew a little excited at the thought of having a house full of people doing who knows what to one another. Then he stopped in his tracks and shuddered at the idea of doing anything remotely romantic to Elizabeth unless it was in public and he could easily pretend he was enjoying it.

He was find with a peck on the cheek now and then, especially when Ciel and Finny were around, but anything past that - such as a kiss on the lips - was crossing the line for now. He'd occasionally give her a small kiss on the corner of her mouth, but never fully on the lips, and he could give her a loving hug when she wanted one so long as she didn't try and squeeze his insides through his mouth like usual. Honestly, how did Ciel manage to put up with her for so long? As far as he'd heard from gossiping Year 9's, the two of them had begun dating right around the time Alois left for Clear Lake High. He sighed and continued walking, deep in his thoughts until he and Chaz reached their classroom - Math with Mr Faustus. Oh good, he'd even get to see Claude today too!

He audibly groaned in frustration, making Chaz chuckle, and walked inside and straight to the back right of the room. It was his usual seat in most of his classes, and he knew Claude didn't expect him to do any work so the man who was supposed to be a father to him and Luka didn't bother to even give him a worksheet unless he had a good feeling someone would be coming into the classes that day. Alois just took out his notebook and flipped it open to a blank page, took out a pencil from his pocket and began sketching a cabin settled within the moorlands by a gentle river. It was the cabin he and Luka liked going to, and he had promised Luka he would find a way to go back someday. He could hold his party there, but it was a place strictly for him and Luka.

"I take it you're not doing work today then". Chaz commented lightly and Alois just shrugged whilst continuing to sketch away for the hour of boredom. Claude could've tried to get him involved with doing the work but since he already lived with Alois and knew how stubborn he could be at times, he saw no point in trying with the blond brat and just left him to his own devices - much like all the teachers did nowadays. Teaching Alois Trancy was something they'd all rather skip and not go home with stressed minds.

* * *

 **I am so sorry that this one is so short! :( I was going to do the next part but ran out of time since I always get off my laptop at a certain time in the evening, so I kinda started this late and ran out of time, lol.  
**

 **Anyway, Ciel and Finny in class next part, and Ciel is going to name Finny's teacher crush, can you guess who it is~? (It's probably really obvious, lol) Anyone who gets it right gets a virtual cookie~ ^^ See you tomorrow/in a few hours for the next chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry this is kinda late, I was really busy today it turns out, sorry! Here's the second part to the last chapter anyhow!**

* * *

Ciel and Finny were currently sitting in Religious Studies with Miss Anafeloz - who Ciel knew was Alois' form tutor though he doubted he ever came - and right now Finny had a slightly dazed look in his eyes as he tried his hardest to sneak glances at the teacher Miss Anafeloz was currently talking quietly with by the door as he and Ciel copied down notes from the board. The bluenette smirked a bit and when the other teacher left, Finny let out a content sigh.

"Alright class, you can talk quietly to each other again now" Miss Anafeloz smiled.

"So...you have a crush on Mr Bardroy, eh?" Ciel grinned at his friend.

"C-Ciel! Don't say it so confidently!"

"Why not?" he asked the blushing boy beside him, "It's not like I have a crush on him".

"No, I bet you have a crush on Alois Trancy secretly and you only pretend to hate him".

"Take that back!" _How could he even suggest such a thing?! Even as a joke!_ "W-Why would you even say that?!"

"Because," the strawberry blond chuckled, "it's common knowledge that two people who almost constantly argue are just in love and trying to keep it a secret. Why else would Alois suddenly take romantic interest in Elizabeth?"

"That's absurd Finny, and he just went after Lizzy because I had her and he knew I didn't truly love her. He doesn't either, it's obvious. She's just too blind to see that he doesn't care and never did. All we want is just to be above the other, there's nothing secret about it".

"Oh Ciel, if you always think like that then you'll never know how to love someone properly".

 _That's where you're wrong my dear Finnian...I've already found someone who, even if I can't see their face, they hold a special place in my heart... I'm already in love with someone who is so much better than Elizabeth or any girl I could ever hope to meet. I didn't expect to take the plunge and fall down Cupid's road...but I have, and it's a wonderful feeling._

The class went on and when both boys left they headed straight for their usual patch outside. Neither expected to see Alois standing nearby on his own, looking even more agitated than usual. Taking it as an opportunity to be an annoyance to the Trancy blond, Ciel walked up to the older boy with a smirk, Finny hanging back just in case things turned violent and a teacher was needed. "What's the matter Trancy? Regretting anything recently?"

"Oh piss off Ciel" Alois snarled, arms folded across his chest. "As much as I would love to smash you into the ground, don't tempt me even more".

"Lizzy too much to handle? You could always hand her back, we'd make up in no time".

"Ha! And let you have a little bit of glory? Not a bloody chance. She might be annoying at times but I actually like that in my partners, believe it or not. If they're clingy then it means I can keep them for as long as I want without a care. In fact, you know what? I might just marry the darling thing when she becomes legal age for such stuff. And you know what else comes with turning 16~?"

Ciel thought he was going to be sick there and then. He wasn't prepared for such talk from Alois, no matter how much he liked to prance around the halls in shorts that should most definitely be against the school dress code. And the thought of this brat doing something to his childhood friend just made matters worse. It seemed Alois noticed his expression change slightly and he let out a large cackle of a laugh, blue eyes shining once more and his spirits raising up. Today might just have a good side to it after all.

"You...You wouldn't, would you? Come on Trancy, I know not even you would go that low just to be on top!"

"Ooh Ciel, those were some nice words. Care to test them someday~?"

Ciel growled. "In your dreams!" and stormed off before he raised his fist and began another fight with his rival. No, arch enemy.

"As they always are Ciel, good day!" Alois called after him before bursting into a fit of giggles that left him clutching his stomach as the smaller bluenette gritted his teeth.

* * *

 **I will probably put the rating to M if I decide to actually put sex scenes in this later on, way later on. Anyway, hope you liked, sorry it's short but it was meant to go with the last chapter so...yeah, sorry.**

 **Also, if anyone would like to talk to Alois about anything from the show or this fanfic if you like, then I do have a roleplay account that can be found at this address (feel free to send a friend request too! Alois needs friends. And without spaces, obviously):**

 **facebook profile . php?id = 100010796084924**


	9. Chapter 9

Alois' day ended on a monotone note you could say, since nothing relatively interesting happened after his little amusing hat with Ciel, so he simply grabbed some stuff from his locker and hurried out and off school grounds to go and pick up Luka - who was always excited to see him after spending the day apart. Suddenly a familiar buzz came from his phone and saw it was from his little online playmate. Alois and this stranger had been talking pretty much nonstop throughout the month they'd known one another and they were officially on the term of friends.

 **HauntingMask:** How was your day?

 **PurpleSpectrum:** Boring as heck, yours?

 **HauntingMask:** Eh, it wasn't as great as it could've been. I'm at my Drama Club right now so talk when it's over

 _Drama Club? Interesting..._ His own Drama teacher, Mr Druitt, had asked him to come and help out with the school play rehearsals that were happening sometime next month. And he'd only agreed so he could squirm his way out of taking Elizabeth on a date around town like she'd wanted about a week ago.

He'd barely registered that he'd arrived at Coral Coast when Luka ran up and jumped up into his brother's arms, Alois only just managing to catch him before he fell and hurt himself. Luka giggled and waved goodbye to his friends as Alois silently carried him home. "Big Brother?"

"Hm?"

"Are you alright?"

"...Yeah, I'm fine Luka, don't worry".

"Big Brother, where are we going? Home's that way".

"Sorry Luka, I forgot to mention that my Drama teacher wants me to help out with rehearsals. And since Claude's busy then it meant I had to come pick you up. Can't have you dangerously walking to my school by yourself now, can we?"

"That's alright, I'm just happy I get to be with my Big Brother!"

Alois chuckled and held the boy tightly. "Oh Luka, don't ever grow up..."

* * *

Ciel smiled lightly at receiving a message from his friend online and tucked his phone into his pocket to listen to his teacher, Mr Druitt. He wasn't exactly enthusiastic about Drama but since his life seemed to be full of it from the moment he met Alois Trancy he figured he might as well see if he could enjoy himself within the school play. Mr Druitt ran through a quick role-call and explained what the play was about; a girl and a guy meet for the first time and seem to have some almost strange first impression of one another, though slowly they become good friends and eventually fall in love though neither want to admit it. It was quite a simple plot, Ciel thought, but he guessed there was no way he could change what this teacher had in mind.

He saw Elizabeth's face light up when the doors opened and everyone turned their heads to see who it was on automatic instinct. Ciel surely regretted doing so when he saw it was none other than Alois and another little boy who seemed too young to go to their school. _That must be his brother, Luka..._

"Oh Alois, thank you for coming to help out!" Mr Druitt exclaimed gleefully. "And who's this sweet little thing you've brought with you?"

"This is my younger brother, Luka. Say hi to everyone Luka".

"Hi everybody!" Ciel thought he was going to be sick when almost everyone in the room squealed and cooed over the young boy. Luka just giggled and blushed from all the attention, and when it soon got to be too much, he wriggled behind Alois underneath the older boy's long purple coat. A chorus of 'aww' echoed throughout the hall until Mr Druitt cleared his throat to bring back everyone's attention. Alois sat Luka on a chair at the side of the room and left their bags there with him before going to stand at the teacher's side. Ciel didn't miss the wicked flash in that icy blue gaze when the two briefly locked eyes.

"Now, now everyone. I asked Alois to help out today since the first thing we're going to do is see how well you can sing. Alois has been my star pupil when it comes to the school productions, especially with the fabulous performance he displayed last year". Alois beamed at the praise and moved towards the stage when Mr Druitt asked him to demonstrate. Ciel secretly hoped he'd end up making a fool of himself and a smirk played on his lips.

Alois hopped up onto the stage that was in front of them and set his phone up on a speaker and pressed play before getting into his starting position. If he was about to dance too then it must be a song he really liked or thought it suited him, to which Ciel all the more hoped he would end up mocking him. The song began to play and Alois began to sing, letting out a voice like Ciel had never heard before.

 _I see you've fallen, fallen for me_

 _That's not the thing to do._

 _I'll tell you straight up now_

 _Listen while I'm saying now_

 _I'll play you like a fool._

 _You think I'm pretty, such a pity_

 _Don't know what you've got_

 _And wife material is something that I'm really not._

 _Don't even think about taking me to mama's house_

 _Taking me to mama's house._

 _I warned you from the start,_

 _That boy I'm not that kinda girl._

 _I'm gonna break your heart_

 _Tear it up cause that's the way I work._

 _No, I'm that woman_

 _I'm free to roam._

 _Won't blow you kisses,_

 _Down the telephone._

 _I warned you from the start,_

 _That boy I'm not that kinda girl._

 _That boy I'm not that kinda girl._

 _I won't pretend I'll be the girl on your arm_

 _Don't need no Mr Right._

 _Forget the fancy things,_

 _I ain't looking for no strings,_

 _You got me just for tonight._

 _You think I'm pretty, such a pity_

 _Don't know what you've got_

 _Your little sweet and sugar's something that I'm really not._

 _Don't even think about taking me to mama's house_

 _Taking me to mama's house._

 _I warned you from the start_

 _That boy I'm not that kinda girl_

 _I'm gonna break your heart_

 _Tear it up cause that's the way I work._

 _No, I'm that woman_

 _I'm free to roam._

 _Won't blow you kisses,_

 _Down the telephone._

 _I warned you from the start_

 _That boy I'm not that kinda girl._

 _That boy I'm not that kinda girl._

 _Being good's not my thing_

 _I like to walk on the ark side._

 _Love's a stranger to me_

 _But we can ride, yeah, we can ride tonight_

 _I warned you from the start_

 _That boy I'm not that kinda girl_

 _I'm not that kinda girl!_

 _I'm gonna break your heart_

 _Tear it up cause that's the way I work._

 _That's the way I work!_

 _No, I'm that woman_

 _I'm free to roam._

 _Won't blow you kisses,_

 _Down the telephone._

 _I warned you from the start_

 _That boy I'm not that kinda girl._

 _That boy I'm not that kinda girl..._

Everyone was speechless before several of the girls (including Elizabeth) erupted into loud cheers of applause, and Luka ran up to hug his brother once he was done which caused them all to coo and aww over him again. Ciel was thoroughly disappointed Alois had gotten through the performance without a single mistake. Mr Druitt was thoroughly impressed with the Trancy boy too before he remembered what was going on and picked up the list of names to begin testing people's voices. Ciel knew Alois would be getting a main part after that and since he was already here to help out with guiding people's voices it seemed, so he decided to sing the worst he could manage and then he wouldn't be cast for anything and he wouldn't have to end up humiliating himself in front of his arch enemy. It was the perfect plan.

Time passed almost too quickly as people sung their hearts out to impress both Mr Druitt and Alois (he was the most popular boy in school after all) and Ciel jumped when Alois called his name. He shot the blond a glare before walking up on stage, thankful that he was near the end of the role-call and many people had gone home after their audition. He swiped through his phone quickly and put on a song, deciding not to even try dancing (and he wasn't the only one not to dance by the way) and began to sing.

 _Yeah, the same old scenery_

 _Ain't round here, waitin' for me_

 _Anymore, (anymore)_

 _Ooh, anymore (anymore)_

 _I-I-I'm onto something new_

 _What I had before is out the door_

 _And it just won't do._

 _Gonna switch it up to a different view._

 _Gotta change it up, turn around_

 _Cause I know what I need and now_

 _I'm getting it now_

 _Gotta start it over._

 _Yeah, I gotta hit reset, begin again_

 _Ain't never going back to where I've been_

 _Whoa, whoa_

 _Well I'm starting over_

 _Yeah, I'm gonna reboot, redo, check my flow_

 _Keep movin' along til I get where I wanna go, whoa_

 _Cause I've been there, done that_

 _Ain't looking over my shoulder_

 _I'm starting over._

 _I've been getting nowhere_

 _And getting there fast_

 _Then a voice in my head said:_

 _"You can't let this last"._

 _It's all in the past (it's all in the past)_

 _Sometimes you gotta take a chance, take a risk_

 _Find out everything there that you've missed_

 _And start over_

 _Yeah, I gotta hit reset, begin again_

 _Ain't never going back to where I've been_

 _Whoa, whoa_

 _Well I'm starting over_

 _Yeah, I'm gonna reboot, redo, check my flow_

 _Keep movin' along til I get where I wanna go, whoa_

 _Cause I've been there, done that_

 _Ain't looking over my shoulder_

 _I'm starting over._

 _Yeah, I gotta hit reset, begin again_

 _Ain't never going back to where I've been_

 _Whoa, whoa_

 _Well I'm starting over_

 _Yeah, I'm gonna reboot, redo, check my flow_

 _Keep movin' along til I get where I wanna go, whoa_

 _Cause I've been there, done that_

 _Ain't looking over my shoulder_

 _I'm starting over._

 _Yeah, I'm dreaming of something new_

 _Oh, and I wouldn't go livin' with you_

 _I'm starting over,_

 _Starting over, starting over_

 _Yeah!_

Ciel's nerves wracked. He hadn't meant to sing good! No, no, no, now he was going to get called back for sure and he'd have to be performing with Alois and it was _not_ something he desperately wanted! Damn those singing lessons his mother made him take when he was young.

"Well done Ciel!" Mr Druitt exclaimed gleefully as the bluenette retrieved his phone and tucked it in his pocket.

"Yeah, pretty well done Phantomhive". Wait, did Alois just compliment him? Genuinely? Well, they say you learn something new everyday. Ciel just learnt that Alois wasn't always a cold hearted bastard towards him.

Ciel just nodded lamely and hurried out before anything more could be said and saw Sebastian heading to the car park and ran to catch up with him. "Sebastian!"

"Hm? Oh, good evening Young Master, is there a problem?"

"I just wondered if I could have a ride home?"

"Of course. I see you came from Mr Druitt's school production auditions. How did it go?"

"Terrible". Sebastian said no more as the two piled into the car and drove home.

* * *

"Big Brother, I'm tired, can we go home now?" Luka asked sleepily, tugging on his brother's sleeve while he chatted with some of his fans.

"Sorry Luka, of course we can go" the blond said, picking up the boy and their bags and shifting Luka so he sat on his hip. The auburn haired boy rested his head on his brother's shoulder and closed his eyes, clutching onto Alois tightly. "Looks like I have to go, see you all on Monday!"

"Bye Alois!"

* * *

 **Songs:**

 **Not That Kinda Girl - The Saturdays**

 **Starting Over - R5**

 **I apologise if any lyrics are wrong! Next chapter is the big chapter I've been hyped to write! :D**


	10. Chapter 10

**These two seem like they'll never be friends, but like I said, it's planned to be quite a long story.**

* * *

Ciel spent Saturday afternoon with Finny and Elizabeth, listening to the two of them gush about their respective loved one. Surprisingly, Finny's crush made more sense to Ciel than Elizabeth's newfound love for the rich blond brat who'd terrorised Ciel all his schooling. Ciel ripped a bite out of his candy bar as his friends talked animatedly about Alois and Mr Bardroy and all their perfect features.

They were sat upon a hill near the local park and had a good view of their little town from up there, being able to see for miles so it seemed. Clouds were dotted over the vast blue sky above them, and Ciel felt at peace, like nothing could ever go wrong. It was when he moved to lay on his stomach that he noticed two very familiar figures down below. Ciel watched with interest as Alois and Luka ran around after one another, laughing happily without a single care in the world.

It was a rare sight to behold in Ciel's view, since the only side of Alois he knew was one that came with a snarky tone and flamboyancy at the top of the scale, a ruler over Clear Lake High and a pure annoyance to the bluenette. He watched as Luka tackled his older brother to the ground and clambered on top of him to sit on the older boy's chest in an effort to pin him down. Alois simply laughed along with the small boy and turned his head and the laughing abruptly stopped when he saw the trio on the hill.

"Big Brother?"

"...I'm okay, Luka" the blond smiled, looking back at his sibling and proceeded to tickle his sides, making the younger one shriek happily.

"I told you Ciel, he's not as bad as you think he is" the bluenette was snapped from the duo at Elizabeth's voice and looked at her. "He's really not as bad as he seems".

"So you say, Lizzy".

"Ciel, you can see him and his brother down there as clearly as I can".

"So?"

"So you can see how much he cares about his brother".

"But that's his brother Lizzy, he's completely different when it comes to other people".

"Ciel, please...just give him a chance at least? Just for one day can you not get into an argument with him?"

"Like that'll ever happen. Even if you tell him to do the same he's too good at pretending, so it won't make a bloody difference".

* * *

Alois and Luka almost ran into trouble on their way home when Luka accidentally stepped into the path of a gang member and his few lackeys. Alois instinctively pulled his little brother flat against his legs and furrowed his brows, keeping a hand on his brother's shoulder protectively. "We don't want no trouble".

"Then keep this kid on the right side of the tracks. Wait a minute, you're that Trancy kid I keep hearin' about, ain't ya?"

"So what if I am?"

"Heh, wouldn't mind a pretty boy like you to play with now and then. How old's this little munchkin?"

"He's 10, so hands off. And you can keep your filthy hands off me as well, I'm spoken for".

"Too bad, too bad, would've been nice ta see my-" Alois quickly put his hands over Luka's ears and growled. "-shoved right up that pretty little ass of yours".

"Well talking such filth won't get you anywhere near doing that. Now if you'll excuse me, we'll be on our way".

* * *

 **PurpleSpectrum:** Is it possible to almost run into trouble only to end up being shamefully hit on?

 **HauntingMask:** Depends on who it was who was hitting on you

 **PurpleSpectrum:** Random gang member that I don't even know but he somehow knew me

 **HauntingMask:** Creep...

 **PurpleSpectrum:** And in front of my brother too, can you believe such filth?!

 **HauntingMask:** If I'd been there I would've given him what for

 **PurpleSpectrum:** Really? You would've?

 **HauntingMask:** Y-Yeah...

 **PurpleSpectrum:** Hey would it...would it be possible that you've developed a crush on me?

 **HauntingMask:**...Yeah, it would be. I do. I've fallen for you somehow. You're just...it's like I've been waiting for you...

 **PurpleSpectrum:** Tell me your name and I'll tell you my thoughts on the matter at hand

Ciel panicked a little. Should he reveal his name? He thought it through and then exhaled heavily before responding.

 **HauntingMask:** My name is Kyle

Okay so he was lying, clearly, but this was still a stranger he was talking to, never having seen their face or heard their voice. His fingers trembled while they hovered over the keypad of his phone as his new crush replied.

 **PurpleSpectrum:** I'm Justin! I bet you look so adorably flustered right now, don't you? Hehe, that's okay, it's natural. But, if you really are in love with me, then I'm happy to become your boyfriend if you so wish

This was it. The opportunity was sitting right in front of him on a silver plate. He had to take it while he still had the chance.

 **HauntingMask:** Yes...I want you to be my boyfriend, Justin

 **PurpleSpectrum:** Then it's settled! Now say the famous words

 **HauntingMask:** Famous words?

 **PurpleSpectrum:** I love you~

 **HauntingMask:** I love you

* * *

Sunday...wasn't great for Ciel. Sure it started off good with a morning text from his new lover wishing him a good day, to which he smiled and let Sebastian tend to his dressing. He happily ate breakfast and wished Rachel and Vincent a good day before he went out back to the park to meet up with Finny.

"Woah, Ciel are you feeling okay?" Finny asked when he saw his friend.

"Yes, I'm fine Finny, I'm in the best possible mood!"

"Are you sure I shouldn't call your mum and get her to take you to the hospital?"

"What? Finny, I'm fine! Something really good happened and it just made me ever so happy!"

"Like what? Did Alois get expelled?"

"Nope, something even better than that".

"...He died...?"

"Nope!" Ciel giggled gleefully, twirling on the spot.

"Then what?"

"I'm in love Finny! Sweet, beautiful love!"

Finny, thoroughly shocked at such a declaration, slowly smiled brightly. "Good for you Ciel! So who's the lucky girl?"

"Ah, ah, ah, Finnian, that's a secret for only me to know!"

"Whatever you say Ciel..."

* * *

The duo didn't really no much apart from play video games at Finny's after Ciel had eventually come down from his high and stopped the abrupt declarations of love and how this new lover of his was the best person he'd met in his entire life and how he believed it all to be true love. Finny thought he was spending the day with Elizabeth half the time they were together.

It wasn't until late evening after Ciel had stayed for dinner when his phone rang. He checked the caller ID to see it was Rachel and picked up. "Hello? Mother?"

"Ciel...oh Ciel, it's terrible..."

"Mother? What's going on?" Ciel sat up on Finny's bed and leaned forward slightly, the strawberry blond looked at him curiously.

"Ciel...it's your father, darling...h-he's been in an accident..."

"H-Hold on, I'll come straight home". He hung up and grabbed his coat.

"What's wrong?" Finny asked, walking him to the door.

"My dad's been in an accident, mum sounds extremely upset".

"Alright, hope he's okay!"

* * *

Ciel raced home, heart pounding in his chest. His father had to be okay, didn't he? His father worked for a spy company, and he'd always been fine coming home, so why did he have to be involved in an accident now?! Ciel cursed himself and ran faster, tripping on a paving stone and stumbling a little in his eagerness before he finally reached home. Police cars lined the road and neighbours peeked out their windows at the scene. Ciel squirmed his way through the officers and hugged Rachel tightly, tears in his eyes as her own fell down her face. "Ciel..."

He looked up as the officers moved away and his mother slowly knelt down, hugging him close. "Mother...?"

"Oh Ciel, I'm so sorry..."

"Mother, what's happened?! How's Father?!"

"Ciel...he..." she gave a shaky breath. "...Ciel, they said he died at the scene..."

Ciel's world froze as the statement settled in. His dark blue eyes seemed to dull a shade or two and his mouth formed a firm straight line, hands slowly falling to his sides. Rachel continued to cry on her son's shoulder and Ciel stood motionless as a cold breeze whistled around him.

* * *

 **Hopefully that didn't overly suck. Hehe, see you next update! Also, there was some foreshadowing used in one of Alois' lines of dialogue last chapter, did anybody find it? ;)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thought it was too much for you guys to wait so I'm uploading the next chapter.**

 **Warning: Alois is going to be...somewhat...nice...to Ciel... :/**

* * *

The next day at school, everyone could feel tension suffocating them in the air when Ciel walked through halls and into his classrooms. Some tried to joke about how he'd become as serious as his form tutor, Mr Spears, but they were quickly hushed by a specific group. Alois Trancy's group to be exact. Elizabeth had returned to Ciel and Finny during break to keep Finny company with Ciel's current mood. Nobody could blame him though, his father had died and, to Rachel's surprise, he'd chosen to continue going to school instead of taking a few days off to calm down and process all that had happened. He didn't check any messages from his online friend, and soon they'd stopped messaging him - he didn't find it odd, he just assumed they found someone else to which he could hardly care about now or they'd found something else to do other than talk to him.

He sat by himself on one of the walls at lunch outside and Alois took the chance to go over to him. Everyone nearby held their breaths as they prepared themselves for a big fight - Alois was crazy if he thought teasing Ciel at this point was a good thing to do - but were shocked when Alois simply hopped up to sit on the wall beside him and swung his legs gently, hands either side of him. Ciel glanced at him and huffed in annoyance.

"What do you want? Didn't anyone ever tell you to mind your business with other's feelings and personal problems?" Ciel snapped.

Alois flinched but then gave the bluenette a sad smile, looking down at the ground. "I know the pain you're going through, Ciel. I'm not here to try ticking you off".

"Like you could ever understand what I'm feeling. My father died yesterday. Whereas you have one still".

"Yeah, maybe so, but Claude isn't really a father to me. He barely remembers me and Luka are around. And before you say it, I wasn't just carted off with him to live there, our blood parents died before Claude adopted us...so I know the pain you're feeling more than anyone, believe me..."

"Tch. Whatever Trancy, don't pretend like you care".

"But that's just it Ciel. I do care, you just can't see it apparently. Look, I'll cut you a deal and give you a break for the next three weeks, and then things go back to normal between us - at least on my side of the tracks they do - understand? I don't care if you're not over this by the time these three weeks are up, just make sure you're ready for tormenting to happen again".

* * *

Alois left school to go and pick up Luka with Claude (for once) and the energetic little boy was bouncing in his seat beside Alois as he explained how he had to give a small talk in class about his favourite person in the world and who he looked up to as an inspiration.

"So I told everyone about how awesome my big brother is!"

Alois ruffled his auburn hair and chuckled as he checked his phone. There was nothing from his new online partner but there were about a million and one messages from Elizabeth asking how he was doing without her being with their group while Ciel was settling into life without Vincent. Luka peeked over to take a look but Alois locked the phone, turning the screen black, and Luka didn't manage to see anything of importance.

"Expecting a call or something?" Claude asked with the same monotone he always had.

Alois jumped a little and shook his head. "N-No, just my phone's been on silent all day for once so I was checking for anything".

"I see".

Just as Alois slunk down in his seat a little, his phone flashed and he quickly unlocked it and read the message.

 **HauntingMask:** Sorry, haven't been in the mood to talk. Family member died, a close one, haven't been in the best of moods

Alois frowned a little. He knew several people around the world died on the same day so he brushed off his original thought of it being the person that Ciel's father collided with on the road to cause the crash but that was being too weird for him - as if that would ever come from a book and jump into his life!

 **PurpleSpectrum:** It's fine, understandable. Just don't be afraid to hit me up if you need someone to talk to

 **HauntingMask:** Thank you...

* * *

Ciel shut his phone off and put it aside before for the first time since he was a toddler, he cried.

* * *

 **Sorry it's short, I felt good to end it at that sentence and it's late here again so...yeah, chapter tomorrow for you all too! :D**

 **If you're following _One Last Light_ then it will get a new chapter Feb 28th (my birthday~) hopefully since I don't think I'm going out anywhere that day :)**

 **Fun Fact: In this story, Ciel and Alois met when Alois was new to class for having started mid-term and the two bumped into one another literally and have considered each other an enemy ever since**

 **In other news: My Alois Facebook roleplay account is so lonesome...I get bored on it when the person I roleplay with isn't on (she roleplays as Ciel). I'm really active on it so be sure to go back a few chapters and find the link address and come chat with Alois! Naturally he's in love with Ciel and misses Luka :'(**

 **Actually, I'll just give you the address link thing now, might as well: (you can roleplay as yourself or as a character, I don't mind!)**

 **/ profile . php ? id = 100010796084924 (put the usual facebook address before this)**

 **(without spaces, obviously)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi guys, so for this chapter it's probably gonna be short since I don't really know what I wanted to do since Ciel's depressed and Alois is...being nice to him...and they wouldn't exactly interact much...**

* * *

"Hey, Phantomhive, I heard your old man purposely crashed the car, that true?"

"Of course it is, Matt, who would want a depressing kid like him as a son anyway?"

"I suggest you both shut your mouths before I do it personally".

The two boys and Ciel looked round to find Alois leaning against the wall, arms folded across his chest with a foot up against the wall behind him, his eyes closed. Ciel scowled a little and turned to walk away when he felt a hand grip his shoulder followed by a sickening smack of skin contact. He whirled back round to find one of the boys on the floor, a thin trail of blood coming from a split lip and a speck of blood also on Alois' knuckles.

"What the-?"

"I thought I just told you to clear off. Or did I not make myself clear enough for your dim-witted head brain?" Alois growled as the boy got up and backed away with his mate.

"W-We were just messin' with him. And anyway, how come you suddenly care?"

"None of your snot-minded business, now get out of here and I suggest you keep away from him unless you want that pretty little jaw of yours snapped in two, understand?"

"U-Understood, c'mon Drake".

Alois huffed as the two boys walked away, one nursing a split lip, and turned to Ciel. "Did I come just at the right time?"

"Look Trancy, I don't care what you said to me yesterday, it doesn't make us the same. You and I will never be the same, so just forget what you're trying to do and leave me in peace for three weeks, like you said. I don't need you of all people to fight my battles for me".

"That's not what I'm doing, Ciel. You don't need to deal with pathetic beings like them two for now, the only battle you need to be fighting is processing the loss of someone close to you. I know sometimes I can be sick and twisted to some people, but believe me, I'll be keeping people from gossiping about you until the three weeks is up".

* * *

"Streamer! Lots of streamers Big Brother!"

"Luka, we need to balance out the streamers and balloons. We can't have everyone suffocating or choking on the streamers and then breathing in helium instead of oxygen" Alois giggled with his brother as they sat at the desk in Alois' room planning his birthday party.

"What are you two up to?" Claude asked as he walked in, curious to the giggling from walking by in the hallway.

"Oh, nothing much" Alois smiled innocently, Luka bouncing happily on his lap. "Just planning my birthday party".

"What day does it fall on this year?"

"It's on a Saturday, so we're throwing a huge party because my brother's so amazing!" Luka wrapped his little arms around Alois' neck, giggling slightly into his shoulder.

Claude shook his head with an instant reply. "I won't be here. I have work at my weekend job". And as Luka silenced his giggling, Claude turned and walked out, closing the door and leaving the two siblings to look at one another, disappointed.

Alois' frown turned into a full on scowl and he put Luka on the floor, getting up and going to sit on his windowseat instead, bringing one leg up to his chest and wrapping his arms round it.

"Big Brother...?"

"We should've known, Luka. He didn't come to yours this year either, remember? Why did he even adopt us? He obviously doesn't even care! I hate it here, and I most certainly hate him! I wanna go home Luka...I want it to just be me and you again...everything was fine until they found us and then he brought us here! I hate it with everything I have to offer! I hate it, I hate it, I hate it!"

"Alois..." Luka walked over and climbed up beside the blond boy, squeezing under his arm and settling against his chest, reaching up and dabbing away the tears in the corners of his brother's eyes. "It'll be okay..."

"No it won't, not while we're here it won't". Then he got an idea. "A few days after the party...we'll leave this place - we'll run away!"

"Brother?"

"Listen Luka, I'll gather up all the money we'll need to get far away from here, and then I'll pick you up after school and we'll just run until we find somewhere where nobody will ever find us, okay? It can be like our own little adventure".

"Yeah! Adventure! Adventure!" Luka cheered, smiling brightly up at his brother.

Alois' eyes and smile softened as he hugged Luka to his chest tightly, eventually lulling him to sleep.

* * *

 **I told it was short...also yes, Claude has a weekend job xD Well I'm sure you can assume from Alois' plan that trouble is ahead, and lots of it don't you worry - it's gonna get a bit intense at times, and Ciel and Alois are gonna be smack bang in the middle of it all - naturally. But, I bet none of you have even the slightest idea of what I'm planning for the future of this lovely fanfic :D**


	13. Notice

Hey guys, I swear I actually am in the process of writing a new chapter for this.

But, I just wanted to let you all know that if you ever wanted to send me fanart of scene or characters from this story of mine, then you can send it to my deviantART account (DemonWingz) :D

Also, if you want some lovely videos then go ahead and subscribe to my YouTube (DemonWings)

Ahem and...it's my 19th birthday tomorrow! I might even be generous and upload the next chapter tomorrow ;)

Chow~


	14. Chapter 14

**Tell me guys, what's been your favourite part of it so far?**

* * *

"Alois this isn't fair, you didn't teach me how to play this!" Elizabeth whined from her place on the floor beside Luka, playing video games with him while Alois laid on the couch reading a magazine.

 _You don't play, you lose,_ he thought with a chuckle. "Sorry Lizzy, but Luka's a pro at this, you're bound to lose either way". _Just like your gonna lose my heart before you ever got it._ "Luka, be nice to our guest and teach her the basics at least".

"Yes Big Brother" Luka giggled and proceeded to show Elizabeth exactly how to play while Alois went back to reading his magazine.

* * *

"Ciel, the funeral car's here!"

"Alright, coming..." Ciel mumbled as he straightened his tie and made sure his hair was slicked down neatly, one eye half covered. He gave a small huff and walked out of his room and down the steps to where his mother was waiting. _I still can't believe Elizabeth is almost practically family and yet she's allowed to spend time playing with Trancy than come and pay respects and keep me from breaking down into a complete mess... I bloody swear Trancy, if you do anything to hurt her now you finally have her then you're so dead and I mean that so you won't get to see the light of another day..._

* * *

Finally November 5th had arrived. Which meant that Alois Trancy had finally turned 15! Well, first off he still had school for the day, but how else would he hand out invitations? And by invitations, I mean flyers advertising the party he was throwing.

"Big Brother! Big Brother!" was the awakening call he received from Luka as the youngest Trancy member bounced around on Alois' bed happily, probably more excited about the day than the birthday boy was. "Happy Birthday Alois!"

"Hehe, good morning to you too Luka" Alois chuckled and pulled his brother into a tight hug. "How many presents did I get so far?"

"Alois, that's not what your birthday should be about!" Luka pouted cutely.

"I know, I know, but what's the point in giving me gifts if I can't appreciate them properly because it's my birthday?" Luka just giggled and crawled away from his brother, leaning over the side of the bed and pulling out a roughly wrapped present with Alois' name scribbled on the side of it. The small boy blushed a little at his messy work but presented it to his sibling with a large grin. He cuddled back up to Alois when the older Trancy took the present from him. "Aww, thank you Luka". He unwrapped the gift, tearing the wrapping paper to shreds, and smiled brightly when he lifted the lid of the black box. "You are the _best_ little brother in the world!" He took out the silver locket and lifted it up before opening the case at the bottom of the chain which revealed a picture of him and Luka on either side. "Luka..." Alois immediately put the clipped the locket around his neck and hugged his brother tightly, kissing his head as a few tears fell. "Thank you...thank you so much... Th-This must've cost a fortune... I know we're rich but still..."

"It did, but it was worth it because it's for you; the best brother in the entire galaxy!"

Alois chuckled and looked at the pictures once more, they were the most recent photos Luka could get his hands on of the two of them together, smiling brightly like the happiest children in the world. "I'll never take it off, not even for a shower or for bed, I promise".

* * *

Alois' day at school for the morning went well. He was greeted with the happy, smiling faces of his friends and loyal school subjects.

"Good morning Your Highness!"

"Have a lovely day Your Highness!"

"Happy 15th!"

"Happy Birthday!"

Yes, the morning went extraordinarily well for him. And when Lunch arrived, Alois was well prepared. Once everyone had settled down in their seats in the lunch hall, Alois stood upon his table and coughed loudly for everyone's attention. Once silence greeted him, he smiled brightly and threw his hands up in the air above his head, sending multiple purple flyers everywhere and landing in all sorts of places. "I'm having a party tonight at my place, and you're _all_ invited! Yep, every single one of you! All the information is on the flyer. I hope to see you there!" He then gladly sat down in his seat, catching Ciel's eye in the distance as Elizabeth ran up to him to hug him tightly for the six billionth time that day - really, it was beginning to get irritating the way his lungs and everything else inside his chest seemed to cave in and mould together until the girl let go.

"I'll definitely come, Alois!" she squealed happily.

He smiled back at her. "I expected nothing less, my dear. We shall dance the night away, forgetting about everyone but ourselves". Elizabeth just grinned wider and giggled before crushing his insides once more for the day.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ciel was almost seething. Finny looked at him, almost frightened of his friend. "Um...Ciel?"

" _What?_ " came a growled out reply.

"I...err...are you gonna go?"

"Of course I'm going! Who knows what he'll do to Lizzy!" the dark bluenette snapped. Then he sighed almost too dramatically. "I'm going to need to buy a gift, aren't I?" he sighed again. "Oh well, can't help the ways of Alois Trancy on his special day I suppose... Finny, you'll be accompanying me tonight".

"O-Of course!"

Ciel smirked inwardly. This was an opportunity he wouldn't get until a year today, so he had to take it while he had the chance. Tonight would be one of Alois' worst. He would make sure of it.

* * *

 **Sorry I haven't updated in forever... Had some stuff going on and it's all been really complicated so, yeah... But, of course, I didn't want to disappoint you guys! If it weren't for you guys and your love for this story, I wouldn't have got this far with it! Never expect to go over 3 chapters with my stories cause most of them kinda suck...especially if I'm new to the fandom and stuff. Also, if you guys are interested then there is a small poll on my profile for me to do another High School AU but for another anime fandom. I think I have at least four anime on the poll for you to choose and I think I set it so that you can choose up to two options. But please, check it out for me and vote!**

 **So yeah, like I said above, what's your favourite part of the story so far? Also...would you like Claude to start dating someone? I already have a future idea of who he will eventually start dating but I just want to see what you guys would think of it first.**

 **Also, main reason for not updating is because I honestly could not think of what I wanted this chapter to be about. I got to the part about the funeral for Vincent back near my birthday which was around a month ago and then it only hit me recently that I should just skip to November 5th and have Alois' party - otherwise this story was practically going nowhere.**


	15. Chapter 15

**New chapter cause I really want to get this idea down that I had a few weeks back (terrible, I know) and a friend of mine has been feeling down as of late so this is to hopefully cheer them up, even just a little bit.**

 **I read through this story a few days ago and I noticed that beforehand I had said that Alois' birthday would fall on a Saturday instead of a Friday like the current time in this fanfic. I wrote the date down so many chapters ago and actually forgot about some events; like the gang members trying to hit on Alois in front of Luka and stuff like that.**

 **And nobody's guessed who Claude ends up dating yet xD I will be very surprised if anyone figures it out before I reveal it since it plays a vital part to progress the plot.**

 **I will not abandon this story, I swear, I love it's plot too much - even if it seems kinda lame and cliché at the moment. I turn 20 next year but so what, if I keep at it then by next year Alois and Ciel should've moved up a year in school (so Ciel would be in Year 10 and Alois in Year 11, ages 14/15 and 15/16 respectively depending on where we are in the timeline).**

 **So, without further ado, I will stop rambling and let you all enjoy yourselves as Ciel makes his way to getting Alois a very special gift that will play vital to the plot~**

* * *

The day wasn't half bad for Ciel, despite the date. He was determined to bring the blond's spirits down somehow today. It was a little harsh, he would admit, but this was Alois Trancy's birthday, he didn't care about that weirdo! Ciel grinned to himself as the bell rung to end the school day and he quickly sought out Sebastian to ask for some money so he could go into town quick and get some crappy gift. And that was just so he'd have access to the party. Trancy's usual rules were 'no gift, no entry' so Ciel really had no choice.

He found his butler/teacher heading towards the car park and quickly ran to catch up with him. "Sebastian!" The tall man looked round at the call of his name and smirked at Ciel.

"What can I do for you?"

"I need some money to go into town and get a gift...for Trancy" he spat the last two words like they were venom in his mouth. "It's his birthday party tonight and I plan to get him the crappiest gift possible-"

"Just go get inside? Same as two years ago My Lord".

Ciel would've snapped at Sebastian about interrupting him but then it occurred to him. He hadn't seen Alois in about a year if you counted the time he was at school only. Alois had left middle school and had done his first year at Clear Lake while Ciel had done his final year at their previous school - not that the blond brat had changed much in the slightest. "Yes...Yes, it appears to be so..." he shook his head and held his hand out "I'm still waiting for that money, Sebastian".

"Right away My Lord. I shall inform your mother of your whereabouts once I return to the manor".

Ciel followed Sebastian to the car and waited while the man who partially tutored him found and handed over at least £50. Ciel flicked the pinkish-red note and tugged at each end before folding it once and stuffing it in his jacket pocket. "Thank you. Though this is far too much to spend on _him_ ".

"Consider the extra for yourself if you wish".

"Hm...I do not require anything, especially from where I'm planning to go but nevertheless, thank you. Now, I must be on my way. Good day Sebastian".

"Good day My Lord, see you when you get home".

* * *

Alois practically ran to Luka's school to pick him up - narrowly avoiding death at least twice in his haste - before skipping happily home with his beloved little sidekick. Luka giggled cheerfully at his older brother's antics and bounced around the streets with him before they both ran up to their front door and Alois let them both inside. The air had begun to get chilly and specks of frost could be seen touching the tips of blades of grass, the sky turning a light grey with clouds hanging overhead. It was definitely the beginning of winter.

"Come on Luka, we have to get everything ready before people begin arriving!" Alois called out, frantically throwing off his boots and coat before launching himself upstairs and into his room to get changed into the outfit he had planned just for this day.

"Coming Big Brother!" Luka quickly followed suit upstairs. "This will be even better than your fourteenth!"

"Of course it will Luka!" Alois called out excitedly in reply as he tore through his wardrobe searching for the perfect party outfit. "For one; Ciel Phantomhive will most likely come and try his best to sabotage it. And two; Claude's not around to dampen the mood!" He pulled back from inside the racks of clothing as Luka got to his doorway. He was holding an outfit that consisted of a purple coat-like jacket over a striped white shirt with a thin red ribbon tied around the collar. There was black feathery fluff around the shoulders and the end of the sleeves. Silver cross shaped buttons trailed symmetrically down the front of the jacket and pinned to the badge area was a large red cross that had two trails flowing down from it. Pinned to that was what looked like a set of vampire teeth. Attached to the back of the jacket were two fairly large red bat-like wings and an old-styled pocket watch was tucked into one of the pockets. Purple trousers joined the top half of the outfit as well as Alois' usual black boots. A small purple top hat with a red trim round the base complimented the outfit and the hat also had two little black bat-like wings attached to it. "What about this one? I know I used it for Halloween but I can't help myself, I love it so much!"

"It's perfect Big Brother. It's your party, so you should wear whatever you want to!" Luka then ran out of the room to go and get changed into his own party outfit.

Once both boys were dressed (Luka was dressed in a light blue suit), they proceeded to decorate as much of the mansion as possible between them both. Streamers and sparkles covered almost every surface and Alois set out a table full of various snacks and beverages to one side of the main hall. Luka helped him set up the music and the two happily danced among themselves until guests began arriving.

* * *

Ciel had found it. The perfect crappy gift for one Alois Trancy. It was a simple ring in a purple box with a small note on the front to say who it was from. Nothing special at all. Hopefully Alois would hate it with so much passion that he'd attempt to send Ciel to hospital again. His hand fiddled with it in his pocket as he got home and quickly went to get changed.

Finny rang the doorbell to Ciel's house and Tanaka answered it with a smile. "Good evening Master Finnian. The Young Lord will be down with you in a few mminutes or so".

"That's fine!" Finny chuckled and looked upstairs as Ciel came to the top, slowly making his way down. Both boys had had to find their most elegant attire just for this night.

"Hello Finny, ready to go?" Ciel grimaced slightly. _Why am I even going to Trancy's?! Even if it is to sabotage him on his special day, it's still Alois bloody Trancy!_

"As ready as you are, which is most likely not ready at all considering our destination, haha".

"Hm, hilarious. Come on, let's go before the birthday boy gets too full of himself".

* * *

 **I know it's kinda short but, eh, it was a lazy writing day for me today so yeah...**

 **Also, for you guys to get more involved with the story; is there anything particular you want to see happen in the story? (and don't say for Ciel and Alois to find out they are internet lovers cause I already know how/when that will plan out~) If you suggestion appeals to me and can fit somewhere into what I have in mind for the future then I might just add it in~**

 **Review~ :D The more reviews (it takes up, what, like less than a minute of your time to type a few words?) then the more I am likely to update quicker cause that's how ma brain likes ta work...ya xD**

 **See you guys next time which will be soon! I hope people are still enjoying this... ~**


	16. Bad News

**H-Hey everyone...I know it's been so long...b-but I'm been so busy with other things...**

 **And I...I just had some news...**

 **That my girlfriend's left me... E-Even though last night I said how much I loved her and how much she meant to me...**

 **S-So I'm in a bad place right now...**

 **I don't know why I keep losing the people I claim I love... Sh-she didn't even tell me herself, her friend did! She just upped and left me without a single word...**

 **So I won't be updating this fic for awhile...I hope everyone understands...**

 **I'm sorry, I'm crying right now and my hands are shaking so bad it's getting hard to type...**

 **I'm also thinking of just giving up on anime completely... And Black Butler things are gonna hurt me even more cause it was through this anime we met a-and we were gonna meet at Comic Con this November but now I don't feel like going...**

 **I might just give up completely...**

 **Not suicide, I'm not that low...**

 **I just need some time...**

 **Thank you all for being such wonderful readers of this fanfic, I tried my best with it and I'm so happy people liked it...**

 **Th-this is the third time someone has left me...no, actually, about the fifth time...**

 **I must just be a really terrible person... ;-;**

 **I'm sorry, you don't need to hear my useless rambling...I'm sorry...**

 **I really loved her so, so much...**


	17. Chapter 17

**So, you guys know how I said I'm currently pretty emotional right now? Cause of my breakup and everything?**

 **Well some GUEST decided to send me a lecture about how that note about my current emotional state was breaking the rules. I know it did okay? But did you honestly think I cared at the time? Do you think I care now?**

 **I am going through the stages of mending a broken heart - have you ever felt like that?**

 **I love The Scarlet Winter, I've tried so hard with it! I was even thinking about starting it up again but NO cause I got a stupid lecture from a GUEST and now I don't feel motivated to write at all.**

 **I just... *sigh* I'm pissed right now, alright? Anyway, if you guys would like to follow me on YouTube and deviantART then that would be great:**

 **. deviantART - DemonWingz**

 **. YouTube - DemonWings**

 **I'm gonna repost the story there too... (on dA)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey everyone I've decided not to discontinue this story after all! (No offence but I kinda feel that if I put it up for adoption and told people what I wanted to happen then it just wouldn't turn out as good...sorry). But my whole love life fiasco seems to be over... I'm single. There's been some complications, no doubt that something similar will arise within the future but I will keep pressing onward with this until it's done. I've already gotten so far with it (I had to reread what I already had just now) and I just feel it'd be so wrong to not continue.**

 **And guess what? Alois' birthday is not too far away actually! Oh don't you worry, I wil definitely update this fic on that day ^^**

 **And so to make up for all the time lost with this fanfiction, I will try and post as many chapters as I can make my brain squeeze out up until Alois' birthday and I will post on that day and then maybe take another small break, how's that for you? ^^**

 **One more thing before we move onto the story; do you think it's weird for me to be writing fanfiction when I'm 19, almost 20 and out of high school? I mean, I wanna become an author in the future but I do like anime and fanfiction too...**

* * *

Ciel had to bite his tongue as he and Finny walked up the driveway to the brightly overly decorated manor that was the home of one Alois Trancy. Finny rang the doorbell, a spooky ghoulish noise echoing out of nowhere. Ciel groaned. _He still has everything up from Halloween...honestly?_ The door then slowly opened and Luka stood there with a sweet little grin on his face.

"Hello and welcome to the birthday party of Alois J Trancy! We hope you enjoy the party!"

 _He even dragged his little brother into this? Really Alois, just what are you up to exactly?_ "Um..."

"Thanks!" Finny saved Ciel from talking and quickly dragged the rich boy inside.

The two weren't the first to arrive, but they also weren't the last. At least three quarters of the school were here at the moment! Music blared from the speakers dotted in each corner of the various rooms and Ciel saw Alois sitting on one of the luxurious couches by the fireplace, Lizzy sat beside him with a smile and in a baby pink frilly dress that made Ciel _and_ Alois want to rip their guts out. He was also surrounded by various other girls, each receiving a murderous glare from Lizzy is they so much as touched Alois on the arm gently. Alois then spotted his newest guests from the corner of his eye and those blue irises brightened in such a sly way it made Ciel want to shiver.

Alois quickly excused himself and walked over to his guests and smiled genuinely. "Ciel! Finnian! I didn't think you two were coming! You brought gifts right?" Finny and Ciel quickly handed two small boxes to Alois and the blond smirked. "Aw, you shouldn't have!"

 _What choice did we have?_ Ciel growled inwardly.

Luckily Finny came to his rescue again. "It's not much but hope you like it anyway?" Ciel knew Finny was just staying on Alois' good side. Alois just nodded and put the gifts aside with the mountain of others and gestured for them to go make themselves at home.

* * *

Soon enough more and more people arrived until pretty much an entire room was dedicated to Alois' gift pile. And with the arrival of more guests, the less Luka got to see his brother. He felt lonely and although he loved Alois and wanted him to have all the happiness in the world, he still wanted to be a major part of that happiness. The young boy glanced around the crowded room, trying to peer through the throng of people to even catch a glimpse of his brother. He sighed and went out into the hallway before trotting upstairs to go and watch whatever spooky cartoon was playing on TV.

He tutted to himself when he saw people had occupied that room too. He huffed lightly and went to his room. Surely nobody was in there, right? He climbed up the stairs and slowly creaked his door open but stopped when he heard familiar footsteps bound upstairs. Luka looked over his shoulder to see it was indeed his brother...and Elizabeth. Even Luka knew not to be too excited when Alois took you to his room. It was obviously a private matter, and Alois would either use and abandon, or use and abuse.

"Hello Big Brother..." he greeted warily, knowing his brother better than anyone else and knowing how easily the blond could snap.

"Luka? Why aren't you downstairs, you're supposed to be helping host this party" Alois replied, placing one hand on his hip while the other gingerly held Elizabeth's.

"It's your darn party, why should I have ta entertain the weirdos?" Luka muttered a bit too loudly and his eyes widened when he saw Alois draw in a larger breath than usual and then grit his teeth in a growl. Luka shrunk back and quickly hid himself in his room. Alois would blow up at him for sure next time he saw him or got the chance. And right now, as much as he disliked her, he felt sorry for whatever Alois what about to put Elizabeth through.

* * *

 **I'll probably update again sometime this week or this weekend**


	19. Chapter 19

**Happy Birthday Alois!**

 **Okay, and I will update this on Ciel's birthday too (possibly beforehand as well) and do a birthday oneshot for him too - I did one for him last year but typical me started season two after November 5th so I missed doing one for my baby ;-;**

 **Fun fact: I painted my nails purple today and am wearing Alois' ring ^^**

 **Anyway, let us begin!**

* * *

Ciel and Finny watched the party from the side of the room. Many people talked to them from time to time and Ciel forced himself to smile in greeting and when bidding someone goodbye. Manners mainly. Just to be polite. He really wanted to leave, but he also wondered what was going on upstairs where he'd seen Alois had taken Elizabeth and he thought he'd briefly heard a sharpness in Alois' voice quite a few times tonight.

It wasn't long until his phone buzzed impatiently in his pocket and Ciel jumped a little and quickly dug into his pocket to see it was a message from his online lover. He smiled, the thought making him overly happy - more happy than he was when he first arrived here at least.

 **PurpleSpectrum:** What am I to you?

 **HauntingMask:** What? What do you mean?

 **PurpleSpectrum: J** ust tell me! Tell me what I am to you!

Ciel was confused and starting to get anxious. Was this a breakup? He hoped not. He hadn't felt so in love with anyone before. Hadn't felt so happy before. He bit his lip and quietly excused himself from Finny's side to go out into the hallway for a quieter environment (as quiet as it could get there).

 **HauntingMask:** I love you... Don't you love me too anymore?

The reply took what seemed like forever to come. Ciel was gripping his phone so tightly his knuckles were turning white. He bit his lip so hard he could begin to taste the blood from the tiny wound. His eye was glued to the small screen and he held his breath when the tiny light flashed to signal the arrival of a message.

 **PurpleSpectrum:** Don't be stupid

What did that mean? Was Ciel right or wrong? Did Justin love him still or not? He hated this negative anticipation. He didn't want his heart broken, especially not today of all days. If Alois found out then he'd not only get a massive kick out of it but he'd also never let Ciel live it down.

 **PurpleSpectrum:** Of course I love you still, that won't change, I swear

Ciel smiled and let out a sigh of relief.

 **HauntingMask:** I wish I was with you right now...

 **PurpleSpectrum:** What would we be doing?

 **HauntingMask:** Anything you wanted~ I'd let you tap that all night long if you wanted ;P

 **PurpleSpectrum:** XD

 **PurpleSpectrum:** You're so sweet, and sexy too of course

 **HauntingMask:** You've never seen me before, how do you know?

 **PurpleSpectrum:** I have an imagination~

Ciel chuckled to himself and hugged his phone to his heart. He honestly never thought that he would be doing something like this in his entire life. An online lover... Someone who loved him for who he was (fake name aside). Someone who he could pour his heart out to. Someone who he trusted enough and it felt so strange yet so fascinating at the same time. He wouldn't change Justin for anyone in the world - that was something he swore by.

A small blush occupied his cheeks as he thought about the endless possibilities there were to having a distanced relationship. Some people can find them hard to handle, but Ciel believed that so long as you loved that person with everything you had to offer and kept them safe, secure and protected in your heart then you could pull through anything for them.

 **HauntingMask:** I wish, more than anything, that I get to meet you in person someday...

 **PurpleSpectrum:** What? So I could fuck you senseless?

 **HauntingMask:** When we're of legal age of course!

 **HauntingMask:** Wait...

 **HauntingMask:** Gah! I-I didn't mean it like that!

 **PurpleSpectrum:** XD Talk to me later Kyle, I'll keep you up all night ;*

 **HauntingMask:** O-Okay... *blushes*

Ciel sighed contently but was soon startled when Elizabeth came flying downstairs in tears and straight out the front door of the Trancy home. Ciel blinked, confused and turned away from the door, shoving his phone back down into his pocket as Alois made his way downstairs casually with a smirk on his face. He was satisfied.

Ciel narrowed his eyes and glared at the older boy. Alois just smirked more and shook his head. "I didn't have a choice".

"What did you do to her? I swear to God, if you've hurt her I'll-"

"Ah, ah, we mustn't swear to God, Ciel. That's not a very nice thing to do".

"Shut up! Tell me what you did to make her so upset!"

Alois simply rolled his eyes and turned his back on the Phantomhive boy. "I did exactly what you did to lead her to me in the first place".

Ciel had to think for a few seconds before it clicked. Alois had...broken up with Elizabeth?! Ciel bit his tongue to keep himself from speaking his mind more and ending up in trouble. He watched as Alois walked away back to the main crowd of the party and looked at his phone again.

He really wished he was with Justin instead of Alois...he couldn't wish for anything more than that.

* * *

 **There we go, another update! I hope everyone's still enjoying this fanfic! I certainly enjoy the plot and what is to come in the future!**

 **I know you guys also like it when they talk to one another as 'Kyle' and 'Justin' too xD**

 **I really want to finish this fanfic someday and my birthday is Feb 20th where I turn 20...is that too old to be writing fanfiction? Should I work on my original novels more when I get to that age? You guys don't find it odd or uncomfortable that I'm older than most (if not all) of you?**

 **Also, sometimes it's really hard for me to write lovey-dovey stuff - even if it may not seem that way - because I've had online relationships, and I've had distance relationships too. I am currently crushing on a friend of mine (you know who you are, we met and got talking through this fic...) but they're with someone and so sometimes the lovey-dovey stuff between Ciel and Alois or other characters may seem a little forced.**

 **Honestly, it's easier to write romance if you've been in a relationship before or if you're currently in one. And it can get hard when you're crushing on someone who either doesn't return your feelings or they don't know.**

 **Basically I'm being a sap and missing my ex still but at the same time I'm crushing on a really good friend and my life is sooo complicated at times - way more than it needs to be. I'm just like Alois, I need someone to love me ;-;**


	20. Chapter 20

**Okay so... I just wanna say that whether you like the online chat or not, I really need it for the plot. Like** ** _really_** **need it. I basically have no plot otherwise since the online chat is what will drive the story toward the future. At some point they will find out who Kyle and Justin really are but that won't be until Ciel turns 16 and he's currently 13, coming up to 14 at the moment...**

 **I will tell you now though; Ciel is genuinely in love with Justin. Justin though...he's not taking this as seriously as he should. He's just using it to get one up on Ciel. One day it will all be revealed.**

 **It's kinda hard to describe the plot because if you think it's a little complicated now, it's about to get a whole lot more complicated for the boys and those who surround them.**

 **Honestly, I am not hating on anyone who doesn't like the chat, it's just that without it I can't drive the plot toward what I have planned in the future.**

 **I hope you understand...?**

* * *

A few weeks passed by after Alois' birthday. There had been a lot of talk about how much people enjoyed the party. But most of the gossip was about Alois and Elizabeth's breakup. The blonde had begun to hang out with Finny and Ciel once again and the boys always went awkwardly silent whenever Elizabeth either mentioned Alois, or she just broke down crying at random.

Ciel, though, was feeling quite the opposite of his female friend. His secret online lover had been flirting with him almost constantly. They talked whenever it was possible. During break and lunch at school, during classes when they were allowed to use their phone to do research, whenever they went out to boring family events, and most certainly all night until one didn't reply, indicating they'd fallen asleep.

The feeling in Ciel's heart was exciting but also relaxing. Since his dad had died, he had relied on his conversations with Justin more than anything for comfort. It may not seem like the best idea of therapy, but if it made Ciel happy then who was to complain? Some may say he's even too young to be so deeply in love, he was only fourteen, coming up to fifteen, after all. But he felt all the cliché things people said they felt when he and Justin talked.

He felt butterflies have a circus in his stomach. He felt his heart pounding against his ribcage, almost like a volcano getting ready to erupt at any moment. His cheeks flushed with a deep red blush at some of the things Justin said to him. If this wasn't love then what was exactly?

But that wasn't the only thing bothering the Phantomhive boy. Alois hadn't been seen in school since his party. Nobody had heard from him at all. It was peaceful, yet it was extremely concerning.

Justin barely replied to him too. Ciel would receive a brief message now and then, but it was nothing more than the cute emoji or initials of words indicating their romance. That worried him more than Alois' disappearance.

Ciel needed that message of love come through to his phone to the point where he could feel his heart beat just that little bit faster. To the point where his imagination would run wild with the possibilities of what the two of them could do in one another's company. To the point where he would space out in the middle of class or his friends' conversations to think about the mysterious boy on the other side of the messaging link.

Much like now.

"...el? ...iel? ...Ciel?"

"CIEL!"

The bluenette jolted out of his thoughts (and fantasies) and turned to look at Elizabeth and Finny. The two blondes were looking at him with skeptical looks. Elizabeth looked worried but Finny, who knew more about what was going on, looked concerned more than anything.

"What?" Ciel asked, blinking.

"What's eating you?" Elizabeth asked and Finny chuckled, keeping his teasing comment to himself. "You've been spacing out a lot lately. Just last week you got detention from Mr Bardroy for doing this exact thing".

Ciel, knowing Finny wanted to tease him, smirked. "Oh, I only got that detention so Finny could talk to his favourite person in the entire universe".

Finny flushed deeply and spluttered out a response. "H-H-Hey! No fair!" The strawberry blond pouted and crossed his arms. "So what is bothering you so much anyway? Don't tell me you're actually _worried_ about Alois having suddenly gone missing!"

"Why the hell would I be worried about him?!" Ciel snapped. It was true that Alois' sudden disappearance had struck a nerve when they'd first noticed he wasn't around anywhere, but now it just nagged at the back of his mind.

Alois and he had been rivals for a very long time, and even in the few years they had spent apart whenever Alois had to move into a new school had not exactly given them a peaceful mind. It had helped Alois settle into his new school and make his way up to the top spot in the popularity status, and it had helped Ciel get on well enough with his final exams before moving into the new school himself. But they _loved_ to bicker and fight with one another. It didn't always mean they wanted to, it just happened without any warning and without them noticing sometimes. Normally they would pass in the hall, and if neither said nor did anything then a whisper from a student awaiting a fight would get them started on one another.

Finny shrugged and Elizabeth just laid a hand on his shoulder gently. "Ciel...what if something has happened to him? What if he never comes back?"

Ciel bristled in anger. "How can you care about him after what he did to you?! If he's gone then he's gone, and good riddance!"

Elizabeth and Finny shared a worried looked with one another before falling silent on the topic. Ciel dug out his phone and decided to try texting Justin once more.

 **HauntingMask:** Hey...I miss you. Is everything alright?

He waited a little while before putting his phone away, seeing he wasn't going to get a reply. He knew something was going on with Alois and his sudden absence...and secretly it worried him more than he let on to his friends and everyone else around him.

Alois...was okay, wasn't he?


	21. Chapter 21

**Sorry it's been awhile...things haven't exactly been all sunshine and rainbows for me...**

 **Also, last chapter I said that Ciel was fourteen almost fifteen - I meant thirteen almost fourteen, sorry!**

 **Anyway, hope you still like this story, we do have some way to go before the big reveal!**

 **Also, I should be in a better mental state from now on since I finally found myself in a happy relationship with someone who means a whole lot to me ^^**

 **Unlike this chapter...**

* * *

 **PurpleSpectrum:** Hey, can we talk?

 **HauntingMask:** Sure! Is everything alright?

 **PurpleSpectrum:** I...I need to know where you live...

 **HauntingMask:** Um...

 **PurpleSpectrum:** Please! Just the town you live in at least!

 **HauntingMask:**...London...

Was it okay to give a stranger the town you lived in? Well, Justin wasn't exactly a stranger of sorts. He was Ciel's lover above all else. But still...there were consequences to doing this sort of thing... Wait, he'd only told him the town, and London was a pretty big place. It's not like he'd given out his entire address and expected this guy to turn up on his doorstep when he got home from school one day. Or maybe he wanted to break up face to face? No. No, Ciel couldn't think like that. There had to be a super important and valid reason for Justin to suddenly ask where he lived...right?

 **HauntingMask:** Is everything alright Justin? Please, you can tell me... I'll do what I can to help

 **PurpleSpectrum:** I need to see you Kyle... I already live in London too. I'm in a really bad place right now and I need you

 **HauntingMask:** I...I can't Justin...

 **PurpleSpectrum:** Don't you trust me?

 **HauntingMask:** Of course I do! I just... I just can't show myself to you... I'm sorry

 **PurpleSpectrum:** Yeah? Well I'm sorry for bothering you with my existence in the first place. You obviously don't trust me. So that's it. We're done. I can't be with someone who won't help me because they don't trust me

Ciel's heartbeat increased rapidly along with his breathing that soon got caught in his throat. Tears sprung to his eyes as he stared at the message. Reading it over and over. He did trust Justin! He'd somehow fallen in love with this guy! He'd do anything for him but he did have his limits. But if Justin lived in London too...then had they ever passed on the streets before? In a store maybe? He sniffled and held his phone to his chest from where he sat cross-legged on his bed. The tears eventually ran down his cheeks and he clenched his jaw, gritting his teeth as his body jolted with silent sobs. It hurt. It hurt like nothing he'd ever felt before. He calmed himself for a moment enough to reply simply before curling up on his side as he continued to cry.

 **HauntingMask:** Please...I love you...

* * *

Alois slipped his phone into his pocket and wiped the tears from his face as he walked back over to the tree root that Luka was sat upon, waiting for him. He shot the young boy a reassuring smile, knowing his little brother was observant of his behaviour. They were extremely close after all. He plopped himself down beside him and ruffled his hair in comfort and reassurance. Luka was quietly munching on a small sandwich that they had packed in Alois' backpack.

"We'll be alright Luka, I'll find us somewhere. I promise".

Luka nodded his approval, though he would believe his brother's word more so than others'. The younger boy only knew they were running away to get away from Claude. He knew nothing more. Not where they were or where Alois had been trying to get them to when he had been reading his brother's expression while he texted someone. He finished his small meal and cuddled up to his brother's side, wrapping his arm in an embrace and nuzzling him. He could feel how upset Alois was but knew no way of how to ease his pain.

Alois shivered from the cold of the woodland breeze. He had to get Luka somewhere sheltered at the very least. He'd be fine on his own. Scared of the dark and of being alone, sure, but if it meant sacrificing warmth and light just for his brother then so be it. He scrolled through the many, many contacts on his phone. His fingers were beginning to numb from the cold. Why, oh why did his birthday have to be in November of all months? Winter of all seasons? Well, close enough to winter. When his fingers refused to swipe downwards any longer, he blinked at the screen.

 _The triplets? Seriously? Of all people, this stupid ass phone landed on them? ...Ugh, I don't have much of a choice anymore. Fine, we'll go there and see if the dumb idiots will at least let Luka stay._ Then his phone flashed up with a text message. _Huh? Lizzy?_

 **Lizzy:** Why haven't you been in school?

 **Alois:** Why do you care?

 **Lizzy:** I don't.

 **Alois:** Then why the bloody hell did you ask?!

 **Lizzy:** Ciel's been anxious lately.

 **Alois:** Good. But why should I care? He means nothing to me and never will.

 **Lizzy:** He probably thinks you're going to break into his house one night and kill him.

 **Alois:** Maybe I should.

 **Lizzy:** Goodbye Trancy.

 **Alois:** Bye bitch ;P

 _What was the point of that? Ciel's being a skittish little wimp, so what? Ugh, whatever. I don't have time for this._

"Luka, I think I've found somewhere for you to stay" he said, forcing his legs to straighten as he stood up. He turned and picked Luka up, knowing the boy was exhausted even though he didn't look it. "But don't you worry about me, I'll definitely come and get you in the morning and then we can continue going to our new home, okay?"

"Okay Big Brother, I don't mind how long it takes. I'm just happy being with you".

Alois smiled, holding the boy tightly as Luka's head rested against his shoulder and arms wrapped around his neck. He forced his legs to walk through the rest of the woods and then took twists and turns down alleys through the streets until he came upon the triplets' small bungalow. He curled his lip in disgust but sighed and walked up to the front door, ringing the doorbell. When Timber (or at least he assumed it was) opened the door, he shivered and looked at Luka, who was now sleeping, before looking back at his friend.

"I need you to help me. Take him in for the night, please. I'll collect him in the morning and explain things".

* * *

 **Yeeeaaahhh... I dunno what that whole Lizzy texting thing was for other than a slice of humour?**

 **Again, I apologise for not updating is SOOOO long but it's mainly the case of _life_ and the fact that I know where I wanna go with this but not exactly how to get there -_- Meeeeeeh...**

 **I know there wasn't much to this chapter but at least we got to see where Alois disappeared off to (Claude literally doesn't give two shits) and I also thought I'd throw in a little unexpected surprise for you all ;)**

 **Betcha didn't see that breakup happening, huh?**


	22. Chapter 22

**Ooh it's been so long...oops? I really need someone to keep me on track for this fanfic. It's still got a ways to go before the big finale and everything.**

* * *

Alois stumbled through the forest the next morning. He half-tripped on a tree root while he was lost in his thoughts and muttered an ugly curse to himself under his breath. His argument with Kyle had bothered him all night, and it didn't help that he'd been receiving messages at least every hour, maybe half hour, from him.

 **HauntingMask:** Where are you?

Who cared? Even he didn't truly know. He was just somewhere near the triplets' place.

 **HauntingMask:** You couldn't have truly meant what you said

Oh he did. He meant pretty much every word.

 **HauntingMask:** I still love you, Justin

Liar.

Everyone was just a disgusting liar. He couldn't trust anyone. Not Claude. Not the triplets. Not Elizabeth. And certainly not Kyle. Luka was the only one who truly understood. The only one who would do absolutely anything for him. And Alois would do anything for his little brother in return.

He continued to trudge through the damp, flattened leaves that had fallen to the ground during the autumn season and sighed. November sure was a cold month. The in-between of autumn and winter. Damn, he wish he'd brought a better suited jacket or something. Even a simple scarf would've sufficed. He involuntarily shivered as a breeze whistled through, causing him to try tugging his jacket around him more tightly.

Was this even a good idea? Running away from home took a lot... Was Claude searching for them? Had the police been informed? And the people at school...did they care he was missing? He thought about his conversation with Elizabeth. Could she have been hinting that Ciel felt out of place and missed him? No. No, he was beginning to go senile.

Even if some people did notice he was gone, others wouldn't. They would just go on with their every day to day lives without so much as batting an eyelid at his absence. The kids at school mostly followed him out of fear. The fear of becoming a target. A target whose life he would then set out to destroy in any way he could. Ciel defied him and had paid the price all the way through their schooling. He knew their fear more so than them. He and Luka were afraid of Claude. And just like Ciel had stepped up to take the beatings for the rest of the people at school, Alois had done the same for Luka.

To protect.

Now that he was gone, everyone could enjoy themselves more than before. After all, he wasn't there to dangle fear over their heads if they crossed his path the wrong way. They were free. They would act like they would outside school when he wasn't around. Act the way they would if he had never been there in the first place.

He felt his thoughts darken when he suddenly imagined what his life would be like without his little brother. He would feel more lonely than he had ever done in his life. The few years older than Luka he was were now a blur in memory. As far as his memory would allow back, Luka had always been there. Alois knew that one day they would separate, and he wished with all his heart that that day would not come to pass for many, many years ahead.

But time is limited.

People died everyday. That he understood very well. His and Luka's parents were gone. Ciel's father was now gone too. Kyle was gone now - even though he wasn't dead, it still hurt nearly just as much. Alois' mind drifted to the what ifs. What if he died all of a sudden without any warning? Would he be missed more than he was now - if anybody missed him that is? Would anybody notice his absence enough to have worry begin creeping into their system again? It was a funny question that he asked himself then.

 _Who really cares enough to notice that you're not where you're supposed to be?_

He heard a car or two on the road and took a look at his surroundings to find that he had reached the street the triplets lived on without his mind being heavily focused on the direction his feet had been taking. Once he was with Luka again then his mind would get back on track. He walked up to the door and rang the doorbell with his fingers almost numb.

He assumed that it was Thompson who had opened the door this time and just as he opened his mouth to speak, the other two of the three made an appearance and beat him to it.

"He's not here" They said in unison.

Alois' jaw slackened in surprise and the words slowly hit him like a bullet. "H-He's not-... Wh-What do you mean he's not here?! I trusted you to look after him for one night! And now you tell me he's just disappeared?! _HOW?!_ This is my little brother we're talking about!"

"We just woke up and found him gone".

"Must've run away in the night".

"Somehow. Probably looking for you".

"Y-You let him... H-He's..." Words would not come to form sentences right now. Before he would stutter and splutter to the triplets anymore, he turned on his heels and ran back toward the forest. His mind was alert for only one thing now.

Luka.

He had to find Luka before something worse happened.


	23. Remaking This

I know it's been a while since I last updated, but I've gotten my motivation back to continue this (I honestly do wanna get it done).

But, I've been thinking that I'm going to try rewriting it. Every time I look back at this I can see some minor mistakes and sometimes there's random plotholes and stuff happening because I prefer to write as I go, like make it up as I go along but have a set plot in my head. So I'm gonna also try and lengthen out chapters more because recently I've improved upon that.

So I hope everyone understands this decision and I promise I will be working my ass off to improve this and get it back up to where we left off last time. Hopefully it'll be neater and make more sense in places in the rewrite.


End file.
